Energy transfer in plasmonic photocatalytic composites

Abstract

Among the many novel photocatalytic systems developed in very recent years, plasmonic photocatalytic composites possess great potential for use in applications and are one of the most intensively investigated photocatalytic systems owing to their high solar energy utilization efficiency. In these composites, the plasmonic nanoparticles (PNPs) efficiently absorb solar light through localized surface plasmon resonance and convert it into energetic electrons and holes in the nearby semiconductor. This energy transfer from PNPs to semiconductors plays a decisive role in the overall photocatalytic performance. Thus, the underlying physical mechanism is of great scientific and technological importance and is one of the hottest topics in the area of plasmonic photocatalysts. In this review, we examine the very recent advances in understanding the energy transfer process in plasmonic photocatalytic composites, describing both the theoretical basis of this process and experimental demonstrations. The factors that affect the energy transfer efficiencies and how to improve the efficiencies to yield better photocatalytic performance are also discussed. Furthermore, comparisons are made between the various energy transfer processes, emphasizing their limitations/benefits for efficient operation of plasmonic photocatalysts.

Shape Controlled Plasmonic Sn Doped CdO Colloidal Nanocrystals: A Synthetic Route to Maximize the Figure of Merit of Transparent Conducting Oxide

“…[1] The coexistence of good visible range optical transparency and high electrical conductivity in aliovalent doped ZnO, CdO, In 2 O 3 , SnO 2 makes these wide band gap semiconductors to be used as transparent conducting oxide (TCO) coatings in morphology is much higher than that of a sphere shaped nanoparticle. [10,11] Moreover, the high anisotropic site acts as a plasmonic hot-spot for Raman scattering of different organic molecules. [12,13] So anisotropic shaped plasmonic semiconductor nanocrystals are also very important as the shape of the nanocrystals alter surface polarization, which highly influence their near-infrared optical spectra.…”

Plasmonics of topological insulators at optical frequencies

“…5 This has inspired a search for alternative low-loss plasmonic materials for optical devices operating at high frequencies. 6,7 Candidates that are currently being investigated include highly doped semiconductors, metallic alloys, nitrides and oxides 8 and, more recently, twodimensional materials and topological insulator (TI) materials.…”

“…5 This has inspired a search for alternative low-loss plasmonic materials for optical devices operating at high frequencies. 6,7 Candidates that are currently being investigated include highly doped semiconductors, metallic alloys, nitrides and oxides 8 and, more recently, twodimensional materials and topological insulator (TI) materials.TIs represent a new quantum phase of matter, which originates from the topological character of the bulk electronic bands in certain materials. The strong spin-orbit coupling in such materials leads to a band inversion and the appearance of Dirac surface states in the band gap.…”

Constructing CdS/Cd/doped TiO2 Z-scheme type visible light photocatalyst for H2 production

“…Photocatalytic water splitting using inorganic semiconductors is a potentially scalable and economically feasible technology for converting solar energy into hydrogen for fuel cells [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In recent years, a wide range of inorganic nanomaterials and nanostructures with tunable band gaps have been synthesized and used as photocatalysts for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.…”