Self-Assembled, Sub-Micrometer Diameter Semipermeable Capsules.

Semipermeable nanoscopic hollow spheres or cages with diameters in the sub-micrometer to the 100 nm range are accessible by the self-assembly of polymers onto sub-micrometer sized particles (Möhwald et al.) or by the formation of shell-cross-linked polymeric micelles (Wooley et al.) followed by chemical degradation of the underlying particle or micelle core (see scheme).