title: Tailoring silver nanoparticle construction using dendrimer templated silica networks.
abstract: We have examined the role of the internal environment of dendrimer templated silica networks in tailoring the construction of silver nanoparticle assemblies. Silica networks from which 3,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol based dendrimer templates have been completely removed, slowly wet with an aqueous solution of silver acetate. The latter then reacts with internal silica silanol groups, leading to chemisorption of silver ions, followed by the growth of silver oxide nanoparticles. Silica network constructed using generation 4 dendrimer contains residual dendrimer template, and mixes with aqueous silver acetate solution easily. Upon chemisorption, silver ions get photolytically reduced to silver metal under a stabilizing dendrimer environment, leading to the formation of silver metal nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6, Canada.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ashok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kakkar