Ruthenium/aerogel nanocomposites via atomic layer deposition

We present a general approach to prepare metal/aerogel nanocomposites via template directed atomic layer deposition ( ALD). In particular, we used a Ru ALD process consisting of alternating exposures to bis( cyclopentadienyl) ruthenium ( RuCp2) and air at 350 degrees C to deposit metallic Ru nanoparticles on the internal surfaces of carbon and silica aerogels. The technique does not affect the morphology of the aerogel template and offers excellent control over metal loading by simply adjusting the number of ALD cycles. We also discuss the limitations of our ALD approach and suggest ways to overcome these.