Synthesis of Au-SiO2 Composite Nanospheres and Their Catalytic Activity

We report a simple and environmentally friendly approach to the synthesis of Au-SiO2 composite nanospheres. Our method presents a route for the decoration of preformed amine functionalized SiO2 nanospheres by in situ formation of Au nanoparticles at three different concentrations of Au precursor (HAuCl4). Herein, the silane coupling agent (KH-550) is used as an intermediary to connect the Au nanoparticles to the surfaces of the SiO2 nanospheres, which helps avoid the aggregation of Au nanoparticles. The crystal structure, chemical elements, morphology and catalytic properties of the Au-SiO2 composite nanospheres were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD), UV-vis-spectrophotometer (UV-vis) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analytical results demonstrate that the Au nanoparticles (4–9 nm) were homogeneously distributed on the surface of the SiO2 nanospheres, which had a good FCC crystal structure. Moreover, the Au-SiO2 composite nanospheres exhibited good catalytic properties, measured by their ability to reduce organic dyes. The Au-SiO2 composite nanospheres are promising candidates for applications in catalysis and wastewater treatment.