Fabrication of PbS nanoparticles embedded in silica gel by reverse micelles and sol-gel routes

Abstract

PbS doped-silica gels showing a visible absorption onset were prepared by the sol-gel method. PbS nanoparticles with strong quantum-confinement effect were obtained from sodium sulfide and lead nitrate by the reverse micelle method. Chemical parameters such as the water/surfactant and the [Pb2+]/[S2-] ratios play a very important role in the PbS particle size and in their absorption threshold. The PbS nanoparticles were dispersed in a hydrolyzed solution of TEOS and converted to homogeneous gels after heating. The absorption threshold of PbS doped-gel is blue shifted compared to the one of the as-prepared PbS particles. The non-linear optical properties of the PbS nanoparticle solution were measured by degenerate four-wave mixing and the χ(3) value was estimated to be 1.95 10-11 esu.