Abstract

We have developed a technique for the fabrication of glassy silica materials with ultrafine metal and semiconductor particles. The porosity of xerogels produced under incomplete polycondensation strongly influences the chemical state of the final products, which are formed by reactions of xerogel-dopants in different atmospheres. We have studied, in particular, the process leading to copper sulfide and copper selenide nanoparticles which are promising for non-linear optical applications due to the appearance of a new absorption band in the near IR.