Formation and Thermal Stability of Gold-Silica Nanohybrids: Insight into the Mechanism and Morphology by Electron Tomography

Kundu, Paromita and Heidari, Hamed and Bals, Sara and Ravishankar, N and Van Tendeloo, Gustaaf (2014) Formation and Thermal Stability of Gold-Silica Nanohybrids: Insight into the Mechanism and Morphology by Electron Tomography. In: ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION, 53 (15). pp. 3970-3974.

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Abstract

Gold-silica hybrids are appealing in different fields of applications like catalysis, sensorics, drug delivery, and biotechnology. In most cases, the morphology and distribution of the heterounits play significant roles in their functional behavior. Methods of synthesizing these hybrids, with variable ordering of the heterounits, are replete; however, a complete characterization in three dimensions could not be achieved yet. A simple route to the synthesis of Au-decorated SiO2 spheres is demonstrated and a study on the 3D ordering of the heterounits by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography is presentedat the final stage, intermediate stages of formation, and after heating the hybrid. The final hybrid evolves from a soft self-assembled structure of Au nanoparticles. The hybrid shows good thermal stability up to 400 degrees C, beyond which the Au particles start migrating inside the SiO2 matrix. This study provides an insight in the formation mechanism and thermal stability of the structures which are crucial factors for designing and applying such hybrids in fields of catalysis and biotechnology. As the method is general, it can be applied to make similar hybrids based on SiO2 by tuning the reaction chemistry as needed.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Publisher:	WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
Additional Information:	copyright for this article belongs to WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH, GERMANY.
Keywords:	electron tomography; gold; hybrid materials; nanoparticles; silica
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Materials Research Centre
Date Deposited:	12 Jun 2014 08:55
Last Modified:	12 Jun 2014 08:55
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/49127

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