الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
• Silica nanoparticles were successfully prepared via modified Stöber method. The powder is characterized by high surface area (147.91 m2 g-1) and mesoporousity with mean pore diameter of 19.54nm. SEM reveals that the silica composed of homogenous, uniform and spherical nanoparticles with narrow particle size distribution and average particle size diameter of 43.3 nm.
• Well dispersed ZnO nanoparticles supported on silica nanoparticles were successfully synthesized at different loading mole percents (10, 20, 30 and 40). The route of preparation was via nonaqueous solvent controlled sol-gel technique.
• ZnO deposition on silica support facilitates formation of sub-10 nm nanoparticles with good dispersity, uniformity, reproducibility, and narrow particle size distribution. Also, immobilizing ZnO nanoparticles on silica support prevents the high surface energy nanoparticles from agglomeration when it is dispersed in solution. Furthermore, silica has adsorptive capabilities that may enhance the adsorption of the contaminants from the solution and make it in close proximity of ZnO sites. What’s more, silica is an ideal support material since it is transparent to ultraviolet radiation and will not reduce the ZnO photonic efficiency.
• Quantum size effects in the sub-10 nm ZnO particles along with electronic interaction between ZnO and silica cause a blue shift in ZnO band gap. This shift in the band gap was found to be lager in lower loaded ZnO on silica samples.