Preparation and evaluation of Au nanoparticle-silica aerogel nanocomposite

A Au nanoparticle-silica aerogel nanocomposite was prepared by the gelling of a tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS)/ethanol solution together with Au nanoparticles and drying the wet gel in supercritical carbon dioxide. The aerogel nanocomposite contained Au nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.268 ppm. The bulk density, porosity, and specific surface area of the obtained nanocomposite were 0.126 g/cm(3), 94%, and 890 m(2)/g, respectively. The nanocomposite was reddish-violet in color and transparent, and had a relative permittivity of approximately 6 with a dielectric loss of ca. 1 x 10(-3) in the range of 10 MHz to 1 GHz. (C) 2015 The Ceramic Society of Japan and the Korean Ceramic Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.