Sol-Gel Preparation And Optical Properties Of Transparent Metal Particle/Oxide Composite (In Japanese)

Transparent oxide thin films containing dispersed fine metal particles were prepared by the sol-gel method. Sol-gel reaction parameters such as the sol aging time and the amount of water for hydrolyzing the alkoxides employed as the oxide matrix sources were found to affect the size and shape of the metal particles precipitated in the films. Aligned, elongated gold particles could be precipitated in films composed of aligned, fibrous boehmite particles. Titania film electrodes containing dispersed gold or silver particles were found to exhibit photoanodic response in the visible region, which could be attributed to the photoexcitation of the surface state electrons enhanced by surface plasma resonance.