Metal Oxide / Silica and Metal / Silica Nanocomposites from Organofunctional Single‐Source Sol‐Gel Precursors

Single‐source precursors of the type (RO)3Si‐X‐M, where X represents a tethering organic group and M a metal‐containing unit (metal ion or metal alkoxide group), allow the preparation of MOx/SiO2 or M/SiO2 nanocomposites with a controllable nanoparticle size. After sol‐gel processing, the organic groups are removed by controlled thermal treatment, whereby the metal oxide nanoparticles are formed. This approach is exemplified for precursors based on amino‐substituted (for the late transition metals) and β‐diketonate‐substituted alkoxysilanes (for the early transition metals).