Synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites with palladium embedded in mesoporous silica

Many interests in the research about nanocomposites comprising ultrafined metal particles with nanosized scale embedded in ceramic matrix have been growing. The matrix usually in the structure of porous media acts as a host in synthesis of metal-ceramic composites. The synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites with palladium in the mesoporous silica are presented in this paper. Metallic palladium was introduced by impregnation of H2PdCl4 precursor into the silica or direct mixing with the silica gel, and the size of which can be determined by the structural characteristic of the silica matrix and gelation conditions. The introduced nanoparticles lead to the size of 5–9 nm ranging with different composition and thermal condition. The microstructure and optical property of the resultant composites were investigated.