An inorganic material consisting of at least two elementary spherical particles, each of said spherical particles consisting of metal nanoparticles that are between 1 and 300 nm in size, said metal nanoparticles comprising at least one transition metal oxide and/or at least one rare earth metal oxide in which said metal is Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Fe, Co, Cu, Y, La, Ni, Cr, Pd, Pt, Ce, Eu, Nd, Gd or mixtures thereof, said metal nanoparticles being trapped within a mesostructured matrix with an oxide base of at least one element X that is aluminum, titanium, tungsten, zirconium, gallium, germanium, tin, antimony, lead, vanadium, iron, manganese, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, yttrium, cerium, gadolinium, europium or neodymium, whereby said mesostructured matrix has a pore size of between 1.5 and 30 nm and has amorphous walls with a thickness of between 1 and 30 nm, said elementary spherical particles having a maximum diameter of 10 μm, said inorganic material being prepared by a process comprising a) synthesizing metal particles of a maximum nanometric size that is equal to 300 nm so as to obtain a stable colloidal solution in which said nanoparticles are dispersed;
- b) mixing in solution of at least one surfactant, at least one precursor of at least one element X that is aluminum, titanium, tungsten, zirconium, gallium, germanium, tin, antimony, lead, vanadium, iron, manganese, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, yttrium, cerium, gadolinium, europium or neodymium, of at least one colloidal solution of metal nanoparticles obtained according to a), optionally at least one precursor of at least one element X′ that is silicon, aluminum, titanium, tungsten, zirconium, gallium, germanium, tin, antimony, lead, vanadium, iron, manganese, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, yttrium, cerium, gadolinium, europium or neodymium, (whereby X and X′ are different), and optionally at least one stable colloidal solution in which crystals of zeolites of a maximum nanometric size that is equal to 300 nm are dispersed;
- c) aerosol spraying of said solution that is obtained in stage b) to lead to the formation of spherical droplets with a diameter of less than 200 μm;
- d) drying of said droplets, and e) elimination of at least said surfactant for obtaining a mesostructured material in which metal nanoparticles are trapped.