Enhanced photoluminescence property of SnO2 nanoparticles contained in mesoporous silica synthesized with leached talc as Si source

Leached talc was used as Si source to synthesize MCM-41 mesoporous silica with huge surface area (1102 m2/g) and uniform pore size distribution (2.8 nm). Then the synthesized MCM-41 was applied as the host for size-confined tin oxide (SnO2) to produce SnO2/MCM-41 composites. Tin was introduced into the pores of MCM-41 matrix by sol–gel method with SnCl4 · 5 H2O as Sn source and citric acid controlling the hydrolysis rate. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) and N2 adsorption–desorption measurements confirmed the incorporation of SnO2 nanoparticles inside the pores of the mesoporous host without destroying its integrity. No bulk SnO2 nanoparticles were observed on outer surface of the mesoporous matrix. Furthermore, decrease of pore volume, average pore diameter and BET surface area, and increase of wall thickness proved the existence of SnO2 nanoparticles within the channels of host. The SnO2/MCM-41 composites showed enhanced room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) property with about 8 times of pure SnO2 nanoparticles.