Controlled Deposition of Silver Nanoparticles in Mesoporous Single- or Multilayer Thin Films: From Tuned Pore Filling to Selective Spatial Location of Nanometric Objects

M. C. FUERTES; M. MARCHENA; M. C. MARCHI; A. WOLOSIUK; G. J. A. A. SOLER-ILLIA

SMALL

WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH

Año: 2009 vol. 5 p. 272 - 280

1613-6810

Ag nanoparticle assemblies were embedded within mesoporous oxide thin films by an ?in situ? mild reduction. A quantitative method based in X Ray Reflectivity (XRR) was developed and validated with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) in order to assess pore filling, leading to nanoparticle-mesoporous oxide thin film composites (NP@MOTF). The use of dilute formaldehyde solutions leads to control the formation of silver nanoparticles within mesoporous titania films. Inclusion of silver nanoparticles in mesoporous silica requires more drastic conditions. This difference of reactivity can be exploited to selectively synthesize nanoparticles in a pre-determined layer of a multilayered mesoporous stack leading to complex 1D ordered multilayers with precise spatial location of nanometric objects. The metal-oxide nanocomposites synthesized have potential applications in catalysis, optical devices, surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), and metal enhancement fluorescence.