Incorporation of CdS Nanoparticles Formed in Reverse Micelles into Mesoporous Silica

The incorporation of CdS nanoparticles, prepared in reverse micellar systems, into thiol-modified mesoporous silica, such as FM41 (functionalized MCM-41) and FM48 (functionalized MCM-48), has been investigated. The nanoparticles were immobilized in the mesopores via the incorporation of water droplets of the reverse micelles. A particle-sieving effect for FM41 having large (L-FM41, 3.8 nm) and medium (M-FM41, 3.6 nm) pore size was observed, in that the incorporation of the CdS nanoparticles was decreased with increasing particle size and with decreasing pore size of the FM41. Chemical vapor deposition treatment employed to narrow the mesopores of the CdS-FM41 enhanced the stability of CdS nanoparticles against heat treatment. The CdS-FM41 composites demonstrated photocatalytic activity for H(2) generation from 2-propanol aqueous solution, the better photocatalytic activity being obtained with the larger pore size for CdS-L-FM41. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.