Encapsulated metal nanocluster materials prepared by a novel inverse micelle/sol-gel technique
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); and others
A wide variety of manometer sized metal and semiconductor particles (Au, Ag, Pd, Pt, Rh, Fe, Ni, CdS, MoS{sub 2} and FeS{sub 2}) can be prepared using an inverse micelle technique. Such materials are of great interest for their potential use in catalytic, photochemical, electrochemical and optical applications but their practicality is often hindered by the agglomeration of the particles. Agglomeration may be prevented by using a porous support matrix where the nanoclusters are sterically trapped within the pores. The sol-gel process results in the formation of such a porous support material. We have thus combined the technique of forming metal nanoclusters in inverse micelle solutions with the technique of forming sol-gel materials. Using our novel method, we have succeeded in preparing manometer sized metal colloids encapsulated in both xerogel and aerogel materials. Characterization of these materials has been carried out by TEM, SEM, UV/Vis, NMR and nitrogen sorption porosimetry.
- OSTI ID:
- 214591
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950801--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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