3D periodic arrays of nanoparticles inside mesoporous silica films

CdS nanoparticles were grown inside a 3D hexagonal porous silica film. The film pore size and organization allowed the perfect control of particle repartition and size (3.5 nm), leading to a 3D nanocrystal array inside the silica matrix. The method was extended to another silica porous structure with larger pores, which allowed to obtain larger particles (5.8 nm). This process was then successfully generalized to other metal sulfides.