Ag nanoparticles hosted in monolithic mesoporous silica by thermal decomposition method

Ag nanoparticles were obtained by thermal decomposition of silver nitrate within pores of mesoporous silica. Microstructure of this composite was examined by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Optical measurements for the nanocomposite show that Ag particle doping leads to a large, red shift of the absorption edge. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.