TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The capped nanoparticle is generated by mixing a noble metal substrate with an organic solvent and an alkyl-thiol, and adding a borane-complexed reducing agent. Preferred Material: The support material comprises a material selected from metals, metal oxide, non-metal or polymer such as alumina, silica, silica gel, titania, kieselguhr, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, clay, zirconia, magnesia, zeolite, carbon black, activated carbon, graphite and fluoridated carbon. Preferred Component: The noble metal substrate comprises chlorine-gold-triphenyl phosphine complex (ClAuPPh3). Preferred Particles: The capped nanoparticles comprise a noble metal such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, nickel, and gold-copper, an alkylthiol cap having 1-30C alkyl group, and a functional group selected from carboxylic acid, carbonyl, hydroxyl, thiol, amine, amide, sulfonic acid, sulfonyl halide, acyl halide, nitrile, and nitrogen with a free lone pair of electrons. Preferred Oxide: The transition metal oxide outer layer comprises zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, alumina, cerium oxide, niobium oxide or manganese oxide. Preferred Salt: The metal salt is nickel nitrate, cobalt nitrate or ferrous nitrate. Preferred Properties: The capped nanoparticles and support material interact by dipole-induced-dipole interactions. The metal nanoparticles or metal oxide nanoparticles are encapsulated in the sphere. The precipitation is carried out using ammonium hydroxide solution. The silica-containing nanosphere has a particle size of less than 100 nm. The monodisperse silica-containing nanosphere has size of 10-200 nm.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Solvent: The organic solvent comprises chloroform, benzene, dichloromethane, toluene, hexane or cyclohexane. Preferred Compound: The alkyl-thiol comprises dodecanethiol. Preferred Agent: The borane-complexed reducing agent comprises tert-butylamine-borane, triethylamine-borane, morpholine-borane, ammonia-borane complex or their mixtures. The alkoxide is selected from tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, tetrabutoxysilane, tetrapropoxysilane, polydiethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane, octylpolysilsesquioxane and hexylpolysilsesquioxane. tetraethoxysilane. The aqueous buffer comprises ethanol, water and ammonium hydroxide. Preferred Acid: The omega -mercapto-fatty acid is mercaptopropanoic acid or a mercaptoundecanoic acid. Preferred Surfactant: The surfactant is selected from polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl propanol, 2-dodecoxyethanol (Brij 30), 2-((Z)-octadec-9-enoxy)ethanol (Brij 92), 2-((Z)-octadec-9-enoxy)ethanol (Brij 97), sorbitan ester, alkylarylpolyether, alcohol ethoxylate, sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, and their combinations. The non-ionic surfactant is (octylphenoxy)-polyethoxyethanol. Preferred Precursor: The transition metal oxide precursor is selected from aluminum bis-ethylacetoacetate monoacetylacetonate, aluminum diacetylacetonate ethyl acetoacetate, aluminum monoacetylacetonate bis-propyl acetoacetate, aluminum monoacetylacetonate bisbutyl acetoacetate, aluminum monoacetylacetonate bishexyl acetoacetate, aluminum monoethyl acetoacetate bispropyl acetoacetonate, aluminum monoethyl acetoacetate bisbutyl acetoacetonate, aluminum monoethylacetoacetate bis-hexyl acetoacetonate, aluminum monoethylacetoacetate bisnonylacetoacetonate, aluminum dibutoxide monoacetoacetate, aluminum dipropoxide monoacetoacetate, aluminum butoxide monoethylacetoacetate, aluminum-s-butoxide bis(ethyl acetoacetate), aluminum di-s-butoxide ethylacetoacetate, aluminum-9-octadecenyl acetoacetate diisopropoxide, titanium allylacetoacetate triisopropoxide, titanium di-n-butoxide (bis-2,4-pentanedionate), titanium diisopropoxide (bis-2,4-pentanedionate), titanium diisopropoxide bis(tetramethylheptanedionate), titanium diisopropoxide bis(ethyl acetoacetate), titanium methacryloxyethylacetoacetate triisopropoxide, titanium oxide bis(pentanedionate), zirconium allylacetoacetate triisopropoxide, zirconium di-n-butoxide (bis-2,4-pentanedionate), zirconium diisopropoxide (bis-2,4-pentanedionate), zirconium diisopropoxide bis(tetramethylheptanedionate), zirconium diisopropoxide bis(ethylacetoacetate), zirconium methacryl icoxyethylacetoacetate triisopropoxide, zirconium butoxide (acetylacetate) (bisethylacetoacetate), and iron acetylacetonate. Preferred Molecule: The functional molecule is an organic dye or organometallic catalyst.