Quantum Confinement and Matrix Effects in Silver-Exchanged Soda Lime Glasses

This work deals with the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of small silver nanoparticles embedded in soda lime glass, which is a system largely employed in integrated optics. Silver dispersions with different concentrations in the host network were obtained through ion exchange without any successive annealing. Modification of the electronic structure of Ag as well as the role of the host matrix were investigated. Experiments show that silver condensates in nanoclusters whose dimensions depend on the Ag concentration. Electronic quantum confinement related to metallic nanoparticles is observed from analyses of the core line, Auger and valence band features.