Entrapment and catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles in amine-functionalized MCM-41 matrices synthesized by spontaneous reduction of aqueous chloroaurate ions

There is tremendous current interest in the generation of nano-hybrid materials using silicate mesoporous materials. We describe herein a new process for the synthesis of gold nanoparticle–amine functionalized MCM-41 hybrid materials by the spontaneous reduction of chloroaurate ions within the silicate matrix. The gold nanoparticles thus formed are bound to the pores of the MCM-41 framework by amine functional groups and show excellent catalytic activity in hydrogenation reactions.