Photocatalytic deposition of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) nanoparticles was investigated using jingle-bell-shaped silica (SiO2)-coated cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles (SiO2/CdS), which each had a void space between the CdS core and SiO2 shell, as a photocatalyst. A size-selective photoetching technique was used to prepare the jingle bell nanostructure of SiO2/CdS. Nanoparticles of Au and Ag were deposited by irradiation of the photoetched SiO2/CdS in the presence of the corresponding metal complexes under deaerated conditions. Chemical etching of Au-deposited particles enabled the selective removal of CdS without any influence on the surface-plasmon absorption of Au. TEM analyses of the resulting particles suggested that some particles were encapsulated in hollow SiO2 particles, while other Au particles were deposited on the outer surface of the SiO2 shell. Emission spectra of the photoetched SiO2/CdS showed that the metal deposition developed a broad emission with a peak around 650 nm originating from surface defect sites, the degree being dependent on the kind of metal nanoparticles and their amount of deposition. This fact can be explained by the formation of metal–CdS binary nanoparticles having defect sites at the interface between metal and CdS.
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