Confination of Ag nanostructures within SBA-15 by a “two solvents” reduction technique

•A “two solvents” reduction technique is used to in situ synthesize silver nanostructures inside the mesochannels of SBA-15.•The concentration of silver ion precursor can impact the morphologies of Ag nanostructures in the silica channels.•The mechanism of the synthesis process is proposed.

Ag nanostructures confined in SBA-15 channels have been successfully synthesized by a “two solvents” reduction technique. Results showed that the morphologies of Ag nanostructures within SBA-15 varied with the concentration of AgNO3. Ag nanoparticles and nanorods were mainly formed in the mesochannels when the atomic Ag/Si ratio was 0.014 and 0.029, respectively. Ag nanowires appeared in the channels after the atomic Ag/Si ratio increased from 0.044 to 0.059. As the atomic Ag/Si ratio was higher than 0.088, besides Ag nanowires in the mesochannels, some bigger Ag nanoparticles were simultaneously dispersed on the silica surface. The average diameter of the confined Ag nanostructures was c.a. 4.7–5.2 nm.

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