Plasmonic-metal nanostructures for efficient conversion of solar to chemical energy

Linic, Suljo; Christopher, Phillip; Ingram, David

doi:10.1038/nmat3151

Cited by 4,403 publications

(3,830 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…With these facts in mind, we considered a number of possible scenarios for the photo-effect. A reduction in the transport barrier due to plasmonic effects that explain many photochemical reactions can be ruled out because of the lack of response in the presence of plasmon-active Au nanoparticles 22,23 . Photo-induced electrolysis of water is also readily ruled out because the photo-proton effect appears at low V, well below the thermodynamic voltage for water splitting and its relative amplitude changes little with V. Even if the electrolysis did occur, its products cannot possibly cross through our membranes that are impermeable to hydrogen, even in its atomic form 8,9,17 .…”

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confidence: 99%

Giant photoeffect in proton transport through graphene membranes

Lozada-Hidalgo

Zhang

et al. 2018

Nature Nanotech

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Graphene has recently been shown to be permeable to thermal protons 1 , the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, which sparked interest in its use as a proton-conducting membrane in relevant technologies 1-4 . However, the influence of light on proton permeation remains unknown. Here we report that proton transport through Pt-nanoparticle-decorated graphene can be enhanced strongly by illuminating it with visible light. Using electrical measurements and mass spectrometry, we find a photoresponsivity of 10 4 A W -1 , which translates into a gain of 10 4 protons per photon with response times in the microsecond range. These characteristics are competitive with those of state-of-the-art photodetectors that are based on electron transport using silicon and novel two-dimensional materials 5-7 . The photo-proton effect can be important for graphene's envisaged use in fuel cells and hydrogen isotope separation. Our observations can also be of interest for other applications such as light-induced water splitting, photocatalysis and novel photodetectors.Recent experiments have established that graphene monolayers are surprisingly transparent to thermal protons, even in the absence of lattice defects 1,2 . The proton transport through graphene was found to be thermally activated 1 with a relatively low energy barrier of about 0.8 eV. Further measurements involving hydrogen's isotope deuterium have shown that this barrier is in fact 0.2 eV higher than the measured activation energy because the initial state of incoming protons is lifted by zero-point oscillations at oxygen bonds within the proton-conducting media used in the experiments 2 . The resulting value of 1.0 eV for the graphene barrier is somewhat lower (by at least 30%) than the values obtained theoretically for ideal graphene 1,[8][9][10] , which triggered a debate about the exact microscopic mechanism behind the proton permeation [8][9][10][11][12] . For example, it was recently suggested that graphene's hydrogenation could be an additional ingredient involved in the process 11 . Independently of fundamentals of the involved mechanisms, the high proton conductivity of graphene membranes combined with their impermeability to other atoms and molecules entices their use for various applications including fuel cell technologies and hydrogen isotope separation 1-4 . For example, it was argued that mass-produced membranes based on chemical-vapor-deposited graphene can dramatically increase efficiency and decrease costs of heavy water production 1,2,4 .In this Letter, we describe an unexpected enhancement of proton transport through catalyticallyactivated 1 graphene under low-intensity illumination. The devices used in this work were made from monocrystalline graphene obtained by mechanical exfoliation. The graphene crystals were suspended

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confidence: 99%

Giant photoeffect in proton transport through graphene membranes

Lozada-Hidalgo

Zhang

et al. 2018

Nature Nanotech

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“…The dual synergistic action of increasing optical absorption and creating hot electrons could be obtained through a heterojunction composed of nanometer size metallic clusters (e.g., Au and Ag) on carbon nitrides 88. The inclusion of metal clusters to act as optical antennas with large absorption cross‐sections would allow concentration of light at the nanometer scale 89.…”

Section: Conclusion and Future Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Tuning the Intrinsic Properties of Carbon Nitride for High Quantum Yield Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

2018

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The low quantum yield of photocatalytic hydrogen production in carbon nitride (CN) has been improved upon via the modulation of both the extrinsic and intrinsic properties of the material. Although the modification of extrinsic properties has been widely investigated in the past, recently there has been growing interest in the alteration of intrinsic properties. Refining the intrinsic properties of CN provides flexibility in controlling the charge transport and selectivity in photoredox reactions, and therefore makes available a pathway toward superior photocatalytic performance. An analysis of recent progress in tuning the intrinsic photophysical properties of CN facilitates an assessment of the goals, achievements, and gaps. This article is intended to serve this purpose. Therefore, selected techniques and mechanisms of the tuning of intrinsic properties of CN are critically discussed here. This article concludes with a recommendation of the issues that need to be considered for the further enhancement in the quantum efficiency of CN photocatalysts.

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“…Metal nanoparticles (such as gold and silver) show many interesting optical, electronic, and chemical properties, which can be used in a range of applications involving photography, catalysis, biological sensors, and drug delivery 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31. For example, metal nanoparticles can be used as structural building blocks to construct more complex objects in a bottom‐up fashion, holding promise for nanoelectronics and nanorobotics applications 32, 33.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observation of Metal Nanoparticles for Acoustic Manipulation

et al. 2017

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Use of acoustic trapping for the manipulation of objects is invaluable to many applications from cellular subdivision to biological assays. Despite remarkable progress in a wide size range, the precise acoustic manipulation of 0D nanoparticles where all the structural dimensions are much smaller than the acoustic wavelength is still present challenges. This study reports on the observation of metal nanoparticles with different nanostructures for acoustic manipulation. Results for the first time exhibit that the hollow nanostructures play more important factor than size in the nanoscale acoustic manipulation. The acoustic levitation and swarm aggregations of the metal nanoparticles can be easily realized at low energy and clinically acceptable acoustic frequency by hollowing their nanostructures. In addition, the behaviors of swarm aggregations can be flexibly regulated by the applied voltage and frequency. This study anticipates that the strategy based on the unique properties of the metal hollow nanostructures and the manipulation method will be highly desirable for many applications.

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Plasmonic-metal nanostructures for efficient conversion of solar to chemical energy

Cited by 4,403 publications

References 88 publications

Giant photoeffect in proton transport through graphene membranes

Giant photoeffect in proton transport through graphene membranes

Tuning the Intrinsic Properties of Carbon Nitride for High Quantum Yield Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production

Observation of Metal Nanoparticles for Acoustic Manipulation

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