Preparation and characterization of silver/TiO2 composite hollow spheres

Silver-coated poly(methyl acrylic acid) (PSA) core-shell colloid particles were prepared by an in situ chemical reduction method. Crystalline silver/titania composite hollow spheres were obtained by coating the as-prepared PSA/silver particles with an amorphous titania layer and subsequently calcining in Ar atmosphere. SEM and TEM investigation indicated that the size of the as-prepared PSA/silver and PSA/silver/TiO2 core-shell particles and silver/titania composite hollow particles was fairly uniform and the wall thickness of the hollow spheres was in the range of 40-80 nm. UV-vis absorption spectra were recorded to investigate their optical properties. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.