Hypersonic properties of monodisperse spherical mesoporous silica particles

We use the picosecond acoustic pump-probe technique to study the elastic properties of monodispersemesoporous silica spheres filled with nickel and deposited in the form of opal-like films on silica substrates. The picosecond pump-probe optical transmission signal shows harmonic oscillations corresponding to the lower energy radial Lamb mode in the vibrational spectrum of the spheres. These oscillations, with a frequency of several gigahertz last for several nanoseconds in the spheres with diameter 1050 nm, showing high homogeneity of the sphere parameters. By analysis of the oscillation spectrum of films with different sphere diameter and nickel content we obtain the elastic moduli of the mesoporous silica spheres.