Hot carrier multiplication in plasmonic photocatalysis
Abstract
Photochemical processes on the surfaces of illuminated metallic nanoparticles have shown outstanding efficiencies and may provide new, light-based strategies for inducing chemical transformations that consume far less energy than do conventional heat-driven catalysts. Energetic, or “hot” electrons, play an important role in these types of processes, although their short lifetime has made this interpretation somewhat controversial. In this work, we report a photochemical reaction with an unusually high efficiency that points toward thermalized hot carriers as being the driving force. This study broadens our interpretation of hot-electron–mediated chemical processes and may pave the way for even higher efficiencies in this emerging field of chemistry.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- May 10, 2021
- Source ID
- 10.1073/pnas.2022109118
Entities
People
- Chao Zhang
- Dayne F. Swearer
- Emily A. Carter
- Hossein Robatjazi
- John Mark Martirez
- Jun G Liu
- Junwei Lucas Bao
- L. Yuan
- Linan Zhou
- Minhan Lou
- Naomi J. Halas
- Peter Nordlander
- Shu Tian
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Boston College
- Princeton University
- Rice University
- Robert A. Welch Foundation
- University of California