A lyotropic AgNO 3 , HAuCl 4 and H 2 PtCl 6 -silica liquid crystalline (LC) phase is used as a supramolecular template for a one-pot synthesis of novel noble metal or complex ion containing nanocomposite materials in the form of a film and monolith. In these structures, Ag 1 , AuCl 4 2 and PtCl 6 22 ions interact with the head group of an oligo(ethylene oxide) type non-ionic surfactant (C 12 H 25 (CH 2 CH 2 O) 10 OH, denoted as C 12 EO 10 ) assembly that are embedded within the channels of hexagonal mesostructured silica materials. A chemical and/ or thermal reduction of the metal or complex ions produces nanoparticles of these metals in the mesoporous channels and the void spaces of the silica. The LC mesophase of H 2 O : X : HNO 3 : C 12 EO 10 , (where X is AgNO 3 , HAuCl 4 and H 2 PtCl 6 ), and nanocomposite silica materials of meso-SiO 2 -C 12 EO 10 -X and meso-SiO 2 -C 12 EO 10 -M (M is the Ag, Au and Pt nanoparticles) have been investigated using polarised optical microscopy (POM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Fourier transform (FT) Raman and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Collectively the results indicate that the LC phase of a 50 w/w% H 2 O : C 12 EO 10 is stable upon mixing with AgNO 3 , HAuCl 4 and H 2 PtCl 6 salts and/or acids. The metal ions or complex ions are distributed inside the channels of the mesoporous silica materials at low concentrations and may be converted into metal nanoparticles within the channels by a chemical and/or thermal reduction process. The metal nanoparticles have a broad size distribution where the platinum and silver particles are very small (typically 2-6 nm) and the gold particles are much larger (typically 5-30 nm).