Spatially Controlled Occlusion of Polymer-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles within ZnO

In principle, incorporating nanoparticles into growing crystals offers an attractive and highly convenient route for the production of a wide range of novel nanocomposites. Herein we describe an efficient aqueous route that enables the spatially controlled occlusion of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) within ZnO crystals at up to 20% by mass. Depending on the precise synthesis protocol, these AuNPs can be (i)solely located within a central region, (ii)uniformly distributed throughout the ZnO host crystal or (iii)confined to a surface layer. Remarkably, such efficient occlusion is mediated by a non-ionic water-soluble polymer, poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)(70) (G(70)), which is chemically grafted to the AuNPs; pendent cis-diol side groups on this steric stabilizer bind Zn2+ cations, which promotes nanoparticle interaction with the growing ZnO crystals. Finally, uniform occlusion of G(70)-AuNPs within this inorganic host leads to faster UV-induced photodegradation of a model dye.