Self-assembled templated Metal/Metal Oxide nano-junctions: A new approach to the Purple of Cassius

Self-assembled spherical reverse micelles formed using diblock copolymers, specifically PS-b-P2VP, were used to grow SnO2 nanoparticles decorated with Au, exploiting the spontaneous reaction between SnCl2 and HAuCl4. The use of reverse micelles enables uniformity in size and dispersion of nanoparticles. This route leads to nanoparticles with tunable optical and magnetic properties with respect to the ratio of SnO2 and Au. XPS analysis also reveals a higher amounts of gold oxide in the composite nanoparticle suggesting their suitability for redox gas sensing.