Galvanic Replacement — Hollow Nanobox Synthesis

This simulator models the nanochemistry reaction behind hollow gold/silver nanoboxes and nanocages: a silver nanocube is immersed in a solution of Au³⁺ ions, and because gold(III) is the stronger oxidiser, electrons flow from the silver lattice to the gold ions. Every dissolved silver atom banks one electron; once three electrons have accumulated, a gold atom is reduced and deposited on the shell — the exact 3 Ag : 1 Au stoichiometry required by the balanced half-reactions. Because only surface-exposed atoms can react, corners and edges dissolve first and the reaction eats inward, hollowing the template into a porous gold shell while live readouts track remaining silver, deposited gold, the running Ag:Au ratio and interior void fraction. Concentration, temperature and the redox potential gap are all adjustable, each changing the reaction rate the same way it would in a real flask.