Hot electrons generated from Mn‐doped quantum dots via upconversion for photocatalysis applications

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the application of photogenerated hot electrons in semiconductor or metallic nanostructures such as in photocatalysis and photovoltaics taking advantage of their large excess kinetic energy and long-range transfer capability. Among various nanostructures that can generate hot electrons, Mn-doped semiconductors quantum dots (QDs) have shown their unique ability to produce highly energetic hot electrons via upconversion process. Compared to the plasmonic hot electrons, upconverted hot electrons in Mn-doped QDs possess several eV larger energy and can even produce photoelectron emission above the vacuum level from a subpopulation of hot electrons under weak visible excitation equivalent to the concentrated solar radiation. The present account reviews recent progresses made in the research on hot electron generation via upconversion and their application in photocatalytic reactions that highlights the benefits of long-range transfer of energetic hot electrons. K E Y W O R D S hot electron, photocatalysis, quantum dot, H 2 evolution, CO 2 reduction Chih-Wei Wang and Connor Orrison contributed equally to this study.

Production of mesoporous carbon nitrides and their photocatalytic properties for degradation of organic pollutants

“…47 To utilize the MCA samples, their photocatalytic properties for degrading an organic pollutant, rhodamine B (RhB), were tested under the irradiation of visible light. [48][49][50] 50 After reaching an adsorption-desorption equilibrium at the surface of samples in an aqueous RhB solution, visible light was irradiated using a solar simulator. While RhB solutions showed a strong light absorption at 554 nm, the peak intensity decreased in the presence of C 3 N 4 -based materials under the light irradiation (Figure S3).…”

“…To utilize the MCA samples, their photocatalytic properties for degrading an organic pollutant, rhodamine B (RhB), were tested under the irradiation of visible light 48–50 . After reaching an adsorption–desorption equilibrium at the surface of samples in an aqueous RhB solution, visible light was irradiated using a solar simulator.…”

Transition metal quantum dots for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction: recent progresses and challenges

“…Anisotropic geometry and confinement effects in QDs are utilized in a wide variety of applications (Fig. 5) such as photochemical reagents, 66 light emitting diodes, 67 catalysis, 68 solar cells, 69 due to their properties such as photochemical, 70–72 magnetic, 73–76 optoelectrical, 77–79 piezoelectrical. 80–83 QDs with enhancing properties exhibited by the semiconductors are proved to be effective electrocatalysts in HER in the current research.…”