The incorporation of plasmonic properties recently emerged as an advanced strategy for achieving high-performance catalysis. The hot carriers and near-field enhancement induced by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation are the key parameters that are responsible for the enhanced performance. Thus, the logical combination of the plasmonic nanostructures and electrocatalytic materials can be an effective strategy for further widening application of the plasmonic effect. This short Review provides a concise overview of the fundamental principles of LSPR; the mechanism of plasmonenhanced electrocatalysis; alternative design methods of plasmonic nanomaterials for various catalytic systems; and recent progress in plasmon-mediated electrocatalysis for the production of energy, including electrochemical conversion of different feedstocks into fuels along with fuel cell catalysis. This Review also sheds light on the areas where major advancements are required to further improve the field of plasmon-mediated electrocatalysis to achieve a major paradigm shift toward a sustainable future.

Hierarchically organized porous carbonized‐Co3O4 inverse opal nanostructures (C‐Co3O4 IO) are synthesized via complementary colloid and block copolymer self‐assembly, where the triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 acts as the template and the carbon source. These highly ordered porous inverse opal nanostructures with high surface area display synergistic properties of high energy density and promising bifunctional electrocatalytic activity toward both the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). It is found that the as‐made C‐Co3O4 IO/Ketjen Black (KB) composite exhibits remarkably enhanced electrochemical performance, such as increased specific capacity (increase from 3591 to 6959 mA h g−1), lower charge overpotential (by 284.4 mV), lower discharge overpotential (by 19.0 mV), and enhanced cyclability (about nine times higher than KB in charge cyclability) in Li–O2 battery. An overall agreement is found with both C‐Co3O4 IO/KB and Co3O4 IO/KB in ORR and OER half‐cell tests using a rotating disk electrode. This enhanced catalytic performance is attributed to the porous structure with highly dispersed carbon moiety intact with the host Co3O4 catalyst.

We report on the excellent electrochemical response of lithium ion batteries that use a composite material comprised of mesoporous titanium dioxide (MTO) spheres and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the anode. The composite structure was synthesized via a combined sol-gel and solvothermal method, and the batteries exhibited unprecedented discharge capacity, cycling stability, and reversibility when compared to those based on commercially available TiO2 nanopowders and mesoporous TiO2 spheres. The inclusion of the composite structure resulted in an improvement in electronic and ionic conductivity, a larger surface area, and a colossal number of open channels in the synthesized structure that allowed for lithium ion intercalation. We achieved a Coulombic efficiency of nearly 100% and a discharge capacity as high as 316 mA h g(-1) at a rate of C/5, which is 1.9 times higher than that which is practically attainable with TiO2. Moreover, we observed a capacity loss of only 3.1% after 100 cycles, which indicates that the synthesized structure has a highly stable nature.

Bifunctional catalysts that are highly active toward both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are attractive for efficient electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we report a bifunctional FeCoOOH nanosheet catalyst for highly efficient electrochemical water splitting in an alkaline electrolyte. The FeCoOOH nanosheet arrays were grown directly on the surface of a porous Ni foam by using a simple hydrothermal method. Because of their binary oxyhydroxide structure and high electrical conductivity intrinsic to direct growth, these FeCoOOH nanosheets exhibited excellent activities toward both the HER and OER. With the use of this bifunctional FeCoOOH catalyst, an alkaline water electrolyzer in a two-electrode configuration achieved 10 mA cm only at a cell voltage of 1.62 V without iR compensation in 1 m KOH, which outperformed that based on the combination of commercial IrO and Pt/C catalysts.

We demonstrated an efficient method for the fabrication of novel, flexible electrodes based on ZnO nanoflakes and nickel-cobalt layered double hydroxides (denoted as ZnONF/NiCoLDH) as a core-shell nanostructure on textile substrates for wearable energy storage devices. NiCoLDH coated ZnO nanowire (denoted as ZnONW/NiCoLDH) flexible electrodes are also prepared for comparison. As an electrode for supercapacitors, ZnONF/NiCoLDH exhibits a high specific capacitance of 1624 F g(-1), which is nearly 1.6 times greater than ZnONW/NiCoLDH counterparts. It also shows a maximum energy density of 48.32 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 27.53 kW kg(-1), and an excellent cycling stability with capacitance retention of 94% and a Coulombic efficiency of 93% over 2000 cycles. We believe that the superior performance of the ZnONF/NiCoLDH hybrids is due primarily to the large surface area of the nanoflake structure and the open spaces between nanoflakes, both of which provide a large space for the deposition of NiCoLDH, resulting in reduced internal resistance and improved capacitance performance. Our results are significant for the development of electrode materials for high-performance wearable energy storage devices.