This work reports the preparation, characterization and applications of silver nanoparticles synthesized through the chemical reduction of AgNO3 and protected by surface modifier. In order to characterize the formation of nanoparticles and the role of synthesis parameters (time, temperature) several studies were made, such as UV-vis spectroscopy, TEM and AFM. We present the incorporation of Ag nanoparticles in sol-gel obtained matrix, because this technique allows the incorporation of larger concentrations of active optical agents and the obtainment of full-dense films at lower temperature than those possible by other methods. The final goal of this work is the preparation of 80SiO(2)center dot 20B(2)O(3) films for active optical waveguides doped with Ag nanoparticles and Erbium. We are looking for the reinforcement of the fluorescence intensity due to the effect of the resonant coupling of both optical agents (Er and nanoparticles) to produce optical amplifiers. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.