Preparation of Noble Metal Nanowires Using Hexagonal Mesoporous Silica SBA-15

Abstract

We demonstrate a novel preparation method for the formation of metallic nanowires from gold, platinum, and silver using mesoporous silica SBA-15 as a template. SBA-15 controls the size and the growth direction of the nanowires and also prevents bulk aggregation of the metal. Nanowires can be isolated from the silica framework by treatment with HF.