Reorganization Induced by Silver Salt Reduction Inside a Mesostructured Block Copolymer Silica Film.

International audienceBlock copolymer self-assembly can be used to get a noble metallic nanoparticle array. The silver nanoparticle array formation inside a mesostructured silica film with the triblock copolymer (PEO)(106)(PPO)(70)(PEO)(106) (F127) has been studied using Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS), TEM, and X-ray diffraction analyses. Mesostructure organization essentially occurs during the sodium borohydride reduction process used to form silver nanoparticles. The well-known orthorhombic order, Fmmm space group, appears with (020)(orthorhombic) plan parallel to the substrate. Such reorganization is explained by the silver ion diffusion occurring along preferential directions toward the film surface. These metallic nanostructures could be potentially used in surface-enhanced Raman scattering, catalysis, or optical devices