Confinement of Cd3P2 nanoparticles inside ordered pore channels in mesoporous silica

Nano-sized Cd(3)P(2) has been confined inside the pore channels of MCM-41 by a surface modification method. XRD, TEM, N(2) adsorption/desorption, UV-vis absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, elemental analysis and XPS techniques were used to characterize the Cd(3)P(2)/MCM-41 composites. Cd(3)P(2) nanoclusters were mostly confined and dispersed in the channels of mesoporous hosts. Their growth was clearly restrained by the channels and their size was estimated to be around 1.5 nm. Massive blue-shifts in the UV-vis absorption and room temperature PL spectra from Cd(3)P(2) nanoclusters were observed. The results of fluorescence decay time measurement show that the nature of the photoluminescence of Cd(3)P(2)/MCM-41 can be mainly attributed to intrinsic radiation of Cd(3)P(2) nanoparticles.