The dual role of micelles as templates and reducing agents for the fabrication of catalytically active hollow silver nanospheres

We report a simple and efficient protocol for fabrication of colloidal hollow silver nanospheres of size less than 30 nm using an ABC triblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-vinyl-2-pyridine-b-ethylene oxide) in the absence of any reducing agents. The colloidal silver hollow nanoparticles serve as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones to the corresponding lactones in the presence of anhydrous tert-butylhydroperoxide under liquid-phase conditions.