Publication date: 28th August 2024
The pursuit of sustainable green fuel production through photocatalysis is a central theme in modern scientific exploration. The focus lies in developing an active photocatalytic architecture capable of efficiently converting light into energy. Plasmonic metals, especially gold, have garnered attention due to their unique optical properties, known by tuneable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR).1 However, a significant trouble in achieving overall efficiency is the limited lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers, known as hot carriers.2
Addressing this challenge involves strategically incorporating a metal or semiconductor near the plasmonic entity. This approach aims to extend the recombination time of hot carriers, enhancing the overall efficiency of the photocatalytic system. While considerable developments have been made, a systematic exploration into the deposition of metals, semiconductors, and hybrid systems remains crucial for advancing plasmonic photocatalysis.3
This research depicts the key strategies and motivations driving the engineering of efficient architectures in plasmonic photocatalysis, including metal-metal, metal-semiconductor, and metal-semiconductor-metal configurations. The presented research involves photocatalytic applications of diverse plasmonic nanostructures, such as gold@gold-silver alloy nanostructures, gold@manganese oxide core-shell nanostructures, and gold@platinum core-shell nanorods deposited on ceria particles. These nanostructures showcase the potential for light-enhanced photocatalysis, offering valuable insights into sustainable energy solutions.4-6 Through a detailed understanding of plasmonic-metal-semiconductor interactions, this research contributes to the ongoing efforts to harness renewable energy sources and advance green fuel production via innovative photocatalytic architectures.
The authors acknowledge financial support from the Science and Engineering Research Board, India (Grant No. CRG/2020/003471) and the Gujarat Council on Science and Technology (GUJCOST) (Grant No. GUJCOST/2020-21/872). We thank the Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) at IIT Gandhinagar for access to TEM and ICP-OES facilities during the PhD. This work was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through the CPLAS Programme Grant EP/W017075/1 and Centre For Ultrafast Imaging (CUI @Kings) for HRTEM facility. Finally, we thank all coauthors, the NPRL lab members, and Dr. Anastasiia Zeleska and Yuanyang Xie of King's College for their help with the photocatalytic measurements.
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