Ag and Cu nanoparticles supported in mordenite structure have been formed applying reduction temperatures in the range 100-400 C and varying Ag/Cu atomic ratios. Absorbance spectra of samples exhibit signature features consistent with absorption via localized surface plasmons propagating in metallic nanoparticles. The formation of binary Ag-Cu nanoparticles is inferred. Theoretical calculations within an average field Maxwell-Garnett model modified for a three component composite system are used to interpret resonance shifts and relative intensities of plasmon peaks in the experimental findings. Within the applied model the relative volume occupied by each metallic species can be changed. This permits the simulation of experimental conditions of the samples. It is experimentally found that the simultaneous presence of two metal species during the synthesis affects reduction temperatures, stability and relative concentration of embedded nanoparticles. Furthermore the observed optical spectra of the supported bimetallic nanoparticles is contrasted with that of single metal nanoparticles studied previously. Our study represents a contribution to the possibility of optical monitoring of synthetic pathways in zeolite + metal nanoparticle systems.

Date Published: 17 September 2016
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 9921, Plasmonics: Design, Materials, Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications XIV, 992130 (17 September 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2238049

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9921:
Plasmonics: Design, Materials, Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications XIV
Satoshi Kawata; Din Ping Tsai, Editor(s)