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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 July 2012
We have utilized wet-chemical etching of ellipsoidal silica nanoparticles to form silica nanoshells of a range of elliptical morphologies. The thicknesses of the silica ellipsoidal nanoshells are controlled through variation of synthesis conditions. A mechanism has been proposed to explain how the nanoshells are formed, and we have demonstrated that the porosity of the silica ellipsoid plays a role in the dissolution-regrowth process. We have also, via appropriate functionalization of the silica surface, coated the ellipsoidal nanoshells with Au nanoparticles.