Size-controlled synthesis of silver nanoparticles on Ti-containing mesoporous silica thin film and photoluminescence enhancement of rhodamine 6G dyes by surface plasmon resonance

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles having a narrow size distribution were synthesized on Ti-containing mesoporous silica thin film (Ti-MSTF) using a simple photo-assisted deposition (PAD) method. Their particle sizes were successfully controlled by changing the photo-irradiation time during the deposition and average particle sizes at irradiation times of 1, 5 and 24 h were determined to be 2.7, 4.7 and 7.6 nm, respectively. The XPS depth profile analysis indicated that silver nanoparticles mainly exist not on the surface but in the thin film. UV-vis absorption spectra of these films showed an absorption band in the visible-wavelength region attributed to the surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles. Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye molecules were further embedded on Ti-MSTF after silver nanoparticle deposition. Photoluminescence properties of R6G dyes on these thin films were enhanced due to surface plasmon excitation from silver nanoparticles and the photoluminescence intensity reached up to 3 times as high as that achieved without silver nanoparticles. It was proven that the silver nanoparticle size had a strong influence on these enhancement effects.

Reducing the Crystallite Size of Spherulites in PEO-Based Polymer Nanocomposites Mediated by Carbon Nanodots and Ag Nanoparticles

“…The characteristic PL band in both PEO:CNDs and PEO:CNDs:Ag composites was observed to be broad. Other researchers have also demonstrated a broad-band emission characteristic for dyes doped with silver NPs at ~520–600 nm [65]. Yeshchenko et al, [66], noticed that the PL total intensity can be greatly decreased by increasing temperature, indicating a strong dependence of the PL quantum yield of Ag NPs on temperature.…”

Fabrication of silver nanoparticles with limited size distribution on TiO2 containing zeolites

“…Similar plasmon bands have been previously observed in Ti-mesoporous silica composites containing silver nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 4.7 to 7.6 nm. 29 To summarize, we demonstrated a simple way to photoconvert Ag species, trapped in the zeolite cages of silver exchanged zeolites, into well-dispersed metallic silver nanoparticles with sizes ranging from 4 to 8 nm on the surfaces of TiO 2 impregnated zeolite crystals. The particles (as seen by SEM and TEM) were confirmed by EDX analysis to be silver nanoparticles and the presence of their related plasmon bands was indicated by UV-Vis DRS.…”

Controlling the Formation of Silver Nanoparticles on Silica by Photochemical Deposition and Other Means†

“…The study of silver‐based nanomaterials has been of intense interest due to a wide range of applications in areas such as chemical sensing (1–3), electronics (4,5), catalysis (6–8) and as antibacterial agents (9,10). In order to better utilize and understand the properties of silver nanoparticles (Ag‐NP), much work has been dedicated to controlling the structure of these nanoparticles, especially in terms of size and shape (1,3,11–16). As the collective knowledge and understanding of silver nanomaterials grows, future researchers will have more tools at their disposal for tailoring Ag‐NP to specific needs and applications.…”

“…Silica as a platform for Ag‐NP deposition and growth has shown promise for some exciting potential applications (23,24) using a silica/Ag‐NP composite material. Further, silica is a useful support for Ag‐NP due to the ease of synthesis (25,26), control of nanoparticle growth (15,27) and the immobilization and stabilization of Ag‐NP (8). The last point is important because the unfunctionalized nanoparticle surface opposite the silica surface is fully exposed, as there is no need for capping or stabilizing groups to prevent extensive aggregation.…”