ZnO nanoparticles included within all-silica MCM-41: preparation and spectroscopic studies

ZnO nanoparticles have been successfully loaded in the all-silica molecular sieve MCM-41. Combined powder X-ray diffraction and infrared spectral measurements show that ZnO particles have been formed and dispersed in the nanoporous channels host. The marked blue shifts in the electronic absorption band and visible fluorescence are ascribed to the quantum size effects. The visible photoluminescence is attributed to the defects that are related to the anionic oxygen vacancies. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.