Silver nanoparticle assemblies are embedded within mesoporous oxide thin films by an in situ mild reduction leading to nanoparticle-mesoporous oxide thin-film composites (NP@MOTF). A quantitative method based on X-ray reflectivity is developed and validated with energy dispersive spectroscopy in order to assess pore filling. The use of dilute formaldehyde solutions leads to control over the formation of silver nanoparticles within mesoporous titania films. Inclusion of silver nanoparticles in mesoporous silica requires more drastic conditions. This difference in reactivity can be exploited to selectively synthesize nanoparticles in a predetermined layer of a multilayered mesoporous stack leading to complex 1D-ordered multilayers with precise spatial location of nanometric objects. The metal oxide nanocomposites synthesized have potential applications in catalysis, optical devices, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, and metal enhancement fluorescence.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.