Photocatalytic hot-carrier chemistry

Abstract

Abstract

Surface chemistry of quantum-sized metal nanoparticles under light illumination

“…The photo-excited high-energy hot electrons concentrated near the surface of QSMNPs could be injected into the empty (antibonding) orbitals of adsorbate molecules to elevate the potential energy of the adsorbate molecules. 10,14 The positive charges le behind in the QSMNPs are "hot holes". The uplied potential energy activates the adsorbate molecules to promote chemical reactions.…”

“…The photothermal effect increases the temperature of the metal nanoparticles and the surrounding reaction solutions (or atmospheres), which is usually able to accelerate chemical reactions according to the Arrhenius equation. 14 The simultaneous contributions of hot electrons and the photothermal effect to chemical reaction kinetics under photo-illumination 46,47 makes it challenging to determine whether the high energy efficiency of hot electron generation in photoexcited QSMNPs can be translated to high energy efficiency in driving chemical reactions.…”

“…10,11 The merging of light absorption and surface reaction in plasmonic metal nanoparticles recently triggered intensive studies of the emerging eld of plasmonic catalysis, or plasmon-driven catalysis, or hot-electron-driven chemistry. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Despite the promise and ongoing studies, the size effect on bridging the optical properties and surface chemistry of metal nanoparticles is not yet well understood. In this review, the critical length scales of nanoparticles made of metal elements will be reviewed to highlight the appropriate size range in which the metal nanoparticles can effectively synergize light absorption and surface chemistry.…”

Light‐Driven Dry Reforming of Methane on Metal Catalysts

“…Relaxation of excitons and plasmons leads to electron–hole separation, producing hot carriers (including hot electrons and hot holes) with energy above their Fermi levels. [ 37–39 ] These hot carriers can interact with the adsorbate species or inject into the empty orbitals of the adsorbate species to deposit energy into the adsorbates. The adsorbate species gaining energy are activated to favor the reaction kinetics involving these adsorbates.…”

“…However, the lower carrier concentration of semiconductor catalysts compared with metal catalysts results in weak light absorption power. [ 37,40 ] Meanwhile, the adsorption of CO 2 and CH 4 on most semiconductors is usually too weak to catalyze the DRM reaction efficiently. In this article, we focus on overviewing the development of efficient metal catalysts for the light‐driven DRM process, which represents a great interest in the research community.…”