Photochemistry on metal nanoparticles

Tunneling-Electron-Induced Light Emission from Single Gold Nanoclusters

The coupling of tunneling electrons with the tip-nanocluster-substrate junction plasmon was investigated by monitoring light emission in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Gold atoms were evaporated onto the ∼5 Å thick Al2O3 thin film grown on the NiAl (110) surface where they formed nanoclusters 3-7 nm wide. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) of these nanoclusters revealed quantum-confined electronic states. Spatially resolved photon imaging showed localized emission hot spots. Size dependent study and light emission from nanocluster dimers further support the viewpoint that coupling of tunneling electrons to the junction plasmon is the main radiative mechanism. These results showed the potential of the STM to reveal the electronic and optical properties of nanoscale metallic systems in the confined geometry of the tunnel junction.

Plasmon resonances in semiconductor materials for detecting photocatalysis at the single-particle level

Hot carriers, generated via the non-radiative decay of localized surface plasmon, can be utilized in photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. In recent years, most studies have focused on conventional plasmon materials like Au and Ag. However, they suffer from several drawbacks like low energy of the generated hot carriers and a high charge-carrier recombination rate. To resolve these problems, here, we propose the plasmon resonances in heavily self-doped titanium oxide (TiO1.67) to realize effective hot carrier generation. Since the plasmon resonant energy of TiO1.67 nanoparticles (2.56 eV) is larger than the bandgap (2.15 eV), plasmon resonances through interband transition can realize both the generation and separation of hot carriers and bring a new strategy for visible-light photodegradation. The photodegradation rate for methyl orange was about 0.034 min(-1). More importantly, the combination of plasmonic and catalytic properties makes it feasible to investigate the degradation process of different materials and different structures at the single particle level in situ. By detecting the scattering shift, we demonstrated that the TiO1.67 dimer (Δλ/ΔλRIU = 0.16) possesses a higher photodegradation rate than an individual nanoparticle (Δλ/ΔλRIU = 0.09). We hope this finding may be a beginning, paving the way toward the development of semiconductor plasmonic materials for new applications beyond noble metals.

Nanometals for Solar-to-Chemical Energy Conversion: From Semiconductor-Based Photocatalysis to Plasmon-Mediated Photocatalysis and Photo-Thermocatalysis

Nanometal materials play very important roles in solar-to-chemical energy conversion due to their unique catalytic and optical characteristics. They have found wide applications from semiconductor photocatalysis to rapidly growing surface plasmon-mediated heterogeneous catalysis. The recent research achievements of nanometals are reviewed here, with regard to applications in semiconductor photocatalysis, plasmonic photocatalysis, and plasmonic photo-thermocatalysis. As the first important topic discussed here, the latest progress in the design of nanometal cocatalysts and their applications in semiconductor photocatalysis are introduced. Then, plasmonic photocatalysis and plasmonic photo-thermocatalysis are discussed. A better understanding of electron-driven and temperature-driven catalytic behaviors over plasmonic nanometals is helpful to bridge the present gap between the communities of photocatalysis and conventional catalysis controlled by temperature. The objective here is to provide instructive information on how to take the advantages of the unique functions of nanometals in different types of catalytic processes to improve the efficiency of solar-energy utilization for more practical artificial photosynthesis.

Polyvinylpyrrolidone-induced anisotropic growth of gold nanoprisms in plasmon-driven synthesis

After more than a decade, it is still unknown whether the plasmon-mediated growth of silver nanostructures can be extended to the synthesis of other noble metals, as the molecular mechanisms governing the growth process remain elusive. Herein, we demonstrate the plasmon-driven synthesis of gold nanoprisms and elucidate the details of the photochemical growth mechanism at the single-nanoparticle level. Our investigation reveals that the surfactant polyvinylpyrrolidone preferentially adsorbs along the nanoprism perimeter and serves as a photochemical relay to direct the anisotropic growth of gold nanoprisms. This discovery confers a unique function to polyvinylpyrrolidone that is fundamentally different from its widely accepted role as a crystal-face-blocking ligand. Additionally, we find that nanocrystal twinning exerts a profound influence on the kinetics of this photochemical process by controlling the transport of plasmon-generated hot electrons to polyvinylpyrrolidone. These insights establish a molecular-level description of the underlying mechanisms regulating the plasmon-driven synthesis of gold nanoprisms.

Heterometallic antenna-reactor complexes for photocatalysis

Metallic nanoparticles with strong optically resonant properties behave as nanoscale optical antennas, and have recently shown extraordinary promise as light-driven catalysts. Traditionally, however, heterogeneous catalysis has relied upon weakly light-absorbing metals such as Pd, Pt, Ru, or Rh to lower the activation energy for chemical reactions. Here we show that coupling a plasmonic nanoantenna directly to catalytic nanoparticles enables the light-induced generation of hot carriers within the catalyst nanoparticles, transforming the entire complex into an efficient light-controlled reactive catalyst. In Pd-decorated Al nanocrystals, photocatalytic hydrogen desorption closely follows the antenna-induced local absorption cross-section of the Pd islands, and a supralinear power dependence strongly suggests that hot-carrier-induced desorption occurs at the Pd island surface. When acetylene is present along with hydrogen, the selectivity for photocatalytic ethylene production relative to ethane is strongly enhanced, approaching 40:1. These observations indicate that antenna-reactor complexes may greatly expand possibilities for developing designer photocatalytic substrates.

Cavitands Endow All-Dielectric Beads With Selectivity for Plasmon-Free Enhanced Raman Detection of Nε-Methylated Lysine

SiO2/TiO2 microbeads (T-rex) are promising materials for plasmon-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), offering several key advantages in biodiagnostics. In this paper we report the combination of T-rex beads with tetraphosphonate cavitands (Tiiii), which imparts selectivity toward Nε-methylated lysine. SERS experiments demonstrated the efficiency and selectivity of the T-rex-Tiiii assays in detecting methylated lysine hydrochloride (Nε-Me-Lys-Fmoc) from aqueous solutions, even in the presence of the parent Lys-Fmoc hydrochloride as interferent. The negative results obtained in control experiments using TSiiii ruled out any other form of surface recognition or preferential physisorption. MALDI-TOF analyses on the beads exposed to Nε-Me-Lys-Fmoc revealed the presence of the Tiiii•Nε-Me-Lys-Fmoc complex. Raman analyses based on the intensity ratio of Nε-Me-Lys-Fmoc and cavitand-specific modes resulted in a dose-response plot, which allowed for estimating the concentration of Nε-methylated lysine from initial solutions in the 1 × 10(-3) to 1 × 10(-5) M range. These results can set the basis for the development of new Raman assays for epigenetic diagnostics.

Supramolecular Organic Nanowires as Plasmonic Interconnects

Metallic nanostructures are able to interact with an incident electromagnetic field at subwavelength scales by plasmon resonance which involves the collective oscillation of conduction electrons localized at their surfaces. Among several possible applications of this phenomenon, the theoretical prediction is that optical circuits connecting multiple plasmonic elements will surpass classical electronic circuits at nanoscale because of their much faster light-based information processing. However, the placement and coupling of metallic elements smaller than optical wavelengths currently remain a formidable challenge by top-down manipulations. Here, we show that organic supramolecular triarylamine nanowires of ≈1 nm in diameter are able to act as plasmonic waveguides. Their self-assembly into plasmonic interconnects between arrays of gold nanoparticles leads to the bottom-up construction of basic optical nanocircuits. When the resonance modes of these metallic nanoparticles are coupled through the organic nanowires, the optical conductivity of the plasmonic layer dramatically increases from 259 to 4271 Ω(-1)·cm(-1). We explain this effect by the coupling of a hot electron/hole pair in the nanoparticle antenna with the half-filled polaronic band of the organic nanowire. We also demonstrate that the whole hybrid system can be described by using the abstraction of the lumped circuit theory, with a far field optical response which depends on the number of interconnects. Overall, our supramolecular bottom-up approach opens the possibility to implement processable, soft, and low cost organic plasmonic interconnects into a large number of applications going from sensing to metamaterials and information technologies.

Nanosilver rainbow: a rapid and facile method to tune different colours of nanosilver through the controlled synthesis of stable spherical silver nanoparticles

A rapid and simple one-pot reaction to synthesize stable, spherically shaped silver nanoparticles of different sizes producing distinct optical properties in aqueous solution at ambient temperature has been developed.

Stable monodisperse colloidal spherical gold nanoparticles formed by an imidazolium gemini surfactant-based water-in-oil microemulsion with excellent catalytic performance

A facile and versatile method for the synthesis of stable monodisperse colloidal gold nanoparticles was developed using a water-in-oil microemulsion-templating strategy.

Metal nanoparticle photocatalysts: emerging processes for green organic synthesis

Metal nanoparticles (Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, Pt, Ir, Rh, Au–Pd alloyetc.) supported on inert support (ZrO₂, zeolite) can be direct photocatalysts to series of organic synthesis with visible light irradiation.

Visible to near-infrared plasmon-enhanced catalytic activity of Pd hexagonal nanoplates for the Suzuki coupling reaction

Photocatalytic conversion of solar energy to chemical energy is an efficient process in green chemistry because it facilitates room temperature chemical transformations by generating electronically excited states in photocatalysts. We report here on the robust synthesis, detailed structural characterization, and especially photocatalytic properties of plasmonic Pd hexagonal nanoplates for chemical reactions. The Pd hexagonal nanoplates are twin crystals, and composed of the top and bottom faces enclosed by the {111} planes with stacking faults and the side surfaces bound by mixed six {111} and six {100} planes. The Pd hexagonal nanoplates with well-defined and tunable longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) have enabled the direct harvesting of visible to near-infrared light for catalytic cross coupling reactions. Upon plasmon excitation, the catalytic Suzuki coupling reactions of iodobenzene and phenylboronic acid accelerate by a plasmonic photocatalytic effect of plasmon induced hot electrons. The turnover frequency (TOF) of the Pd hexagonal nanoplates in a reaction illuminated with a λ = 300-1000 nm Xenon lamp at 176 mW cm(-2) was 2.5 and 2.7 times higher than that of non-plasmonic {111}-enclosed Pd nanooctahedra and {100}-enclosed Pd nanocubes, respectively, and 1.7 times higher than the TOF obtained when the reaction was thermally heated to the same temperature.

Template-directed assembly of metal-chalcogenide nanocrystals into ordered mesoporous networks

Although great progress in the synthesis of porous networks of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles with highly accessible pore surface and ordered mesoscale pores has been achieved, synthesis of assembled 3D mesostructures of metal-chalcogenide nanocrystals is still challenging. In this work we demonstrate that ordered mesoporous networks, which comprise well-defined interconnected metal sulfide nanocrystals, can be prepared through a polymer-templated oxidative polymerization process. The resulting self-assembled mesostructures that were obtained after solvent extraction of the polymer template impart the unique combination of light-emitting metal chalcogenide nanocrystals, three-dimensional open-pore structure, high surface area, and uniform pores. We show that the pore surface of these materials is active and accessible to incoming molecules, exhibiting high photocatalytic activity and stability, for instance, in oxidation of 1-phenylethanol into acetophenone. We demonstrate through appropriate selection of the synthetic components that this method is general to prepare ordered mesoporous materials from metal chalcogenide nanocrystals with various sizes and compositions.

Nanoscale mapping of catalytic activity using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Chemical mapping of a photocatalytic reaction with nanoscale spatial resolution is demonstrated for the first time using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS). An ultrathin alumina film applied to the Ag-coated TERS tip blocks catalytic interference whilst maintaining near-field electromagnetic enhancement, thus enabling spectroscopic imaging of catalytic activity on nanostructured Ag surfaces.

Modulation of the electron transfer processes in Au-ZnO nanostructures

Plasmonic nanostructures comprising Au and ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by the spontaneous reduction of HAuCl4 in ethylene glycol were used to assess the possibility of modulating the direction of the electron transfer processes at the interface. One electron UV reduction and visible oxidation of the reversible couple TEMPOL/TEMPOL-H was confirmed by EPR spectroscopy. The apparent quantum yield for TEMPOL-H conversion under continuous wave visible excitation depends on the irradiation wavelength, being 0.57% and 0.27% at 450 ± 12 and 530 ± 12 nm, respectively. These results indicate that both the surface plasmon resonance and the interband transition from the 5d to the 6s level of Au nanoparticles contribute to the visible activity of the nanostructure. In addition, by detecting free electron conduction band electrons in ZnO, after the visible excitation of Au/ZnO nanostructures, we provide direct evidence of the photoexcited electron transfer from gold nanoparticles to ZnO.

Enhanced photochemistry of ethyl chloride on Ag nanoparticles

Enhanced photodecomposition of ethyl chloride (EC) adsorbed on SiO2/Si (100) supported silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions has been studied in order to assess the potential contribution of plasmonic effects. The cross section for photodecomposition of EC and overall photoyield were found to increase with increasing photon energy regardless of the plasmon resonant wavelength and with Ag coverage without any noticeable particle size effect. The influence of EC-Ag NPs separation distance on the rate of EC decomposition was studied in order to examine potential local electric field influence on the photodissociation process. Long (∼5 nm) photoactivity decay distance has been observed which excludes local surface plasmon dominance in the photodecomposition event. These findings suggest that the alignment of excited electron energy and adsorbate affinity levels is central for efficient photochemical reactions, whereas short-range electric field enhancement by plasmon excitation on top and at the immediate vicinity of silver nanoparticles does not have any measurable effect.

Introductory lecture: nanoplasmonics

Nanoplasmonics or nanoscale metal-based optics is a field of science and technology with a tremendously rich and colourful history. Starting with the early works of Michael Faraday on gold nanocolloids and optically-thin gold leaf, researchers have been fascinated by the unusual optical properties displayed by metallic nanostructures. We now can enjoy selecting from over 10 000 publications every year on the topic of plasmonics and the number of publications has been doubling about every three years since 1990. This impressive productivity can be attributed to the significant growth of the scientific community as plasmonics has spread into a myriad of new directions. With 2015 being the International Year of Light, it seems like a perfect moment to review some of the most notable accomplishments in plasmonics to date and to project where the field may be moving next. After discussing some of the major historical developments in the field, this article will analyse how the most successful plasmonics applications are capitalizing on five key strengths of metallic nanostructures. This Introductory Lecture will conclude with a brief look into the future.

Plasmon-enhanced reverse water gas shift reaction over oxide supported Au catalysts

Visible light driven plasmon-enhanced reverse water gas shift reaction over Au/TiO₂catalysts for CO₂conversion.

Plasmon-induced hot carrier science and technology

The discovery of the photoelectric effect by Heinrich Hertz in 1887 set the foundation for over 125 years of hot carrier science and technology. In the early 1900s it played a critical role in the development of quantum mechanics, but even today the unique properties of these energetic, hot carriers offer new and exciting opportunities for fundamental research and applications. Measurement of the kinetic energy and momentum of photoejected hot electrons can provide valuable information on the electronic structure of materials. The heat generated by hot carriers can be harvested to drive a wide range of physical and chemical processes. Their kinetic energy can be used to harvest solar energy or create sensitive photodetectors and spectrometers. Photoejected charges can also be used to electrically dope two-dimensional materials. Plasmon excitations in metallic nanostructures can be engineered to enhance and provide valuable control over the emission of hot carriers. This Review discusses recent advances in the understanding and application of plasmon-induced hot carrier generation and highlights some of the exciting new directions for the field.

A photochromic nano-system via self-recovery for stable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution by optimizing TiO2 surface energy

AgBr photochromic self-recovery system was introduced into TiO₂ to repeatedly optimize its surface energy by the repeating Br₂ adsorption.

Biosynthesis of poly(ethylene glycol)-supported palladium nanoparticles using Colocasia esculenta leaf extract and their catalytic activity for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions

A green and efficient method for the synthesis of PEG supported Pd-NPs has been developed using aqueous extract of C. esculanta leaf. The prepared NPs show excellent catalytic activity for Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reaction at room temperature.

Plasmon-enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting with size-controllable gold nanodot arrays

Size-controllable Au nanodot arrays (50, 63, and 83 nm dot size) with a narrow size distribution (± 5%) were prepared by a direct contact printing method on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate. Titania was added to the Au nanodots using TiO(2) sols of 2-3 nm in size. This created a precisely controlled Au nanodot with 110 nm of TiO(2) overcoats. Using these precisely controlled nanodot arrays, the effects of Au nanodot size and TiO(2) overcoats were investigated for photoelectrochemical water splitting using a three-electrode system with a fiber-optic visible light source. From UV-vis measurement, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak energy (ELSPR) increased and the LSPR line width (Γ) decreased with decreasing Au nanodot size. The generated plasmonic enhancement for the photoelectrochemical water splitting reaction increased with decreasing Au particle size. The measured plasmonic enhancement for light on/off experiments was 25 times for the 50 nm Au size and 10 times for the 83 nm Au nanodot size. The activity of each catalyst increased by a factor of 6 when TiO2 was added to the Au nanodots for all the samples. The activity of the catalyst was proportional to the quality factor (defined as Q = E(LSPR)/Γ) of the plasmonic metal nanostructure. The enhanced water splitting performance with the decreased Au nanodot size is probably due to more generated charge carriers (electron/hole pair) by local field enhancement as the quality factor increases.

Molecular resonant dissociation of surface-adsorbed molecules by plasmonic nanoscissors

The ability to break individual bonds or specific modes in chemical reactions is an ardently sought goal by chemists and physicists. While photochemistry based methodologies are very successful in controlling e.g. photocatalysis, photosynthesis and the degradation of plastic, it is hard to break individual molecular bonds for those molecules adsorbed on the surface because of the weak light-absorption in molecules and the redistribution of the resulting vibrational energy both inside the molecule and to its surrounding environment. Here we show how to overcome these obstacles with a plasmonic hot-electron mediated process and demonstrate a new method that allows the sensitive control of resonant dissociation of surface-adsorbed molecules by 'plasmonic' scissors. To that end, we used a high-vacuum tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (HV-TERS) setup to dissociate resonantly excited NC2H6 fragments from Malachite green. The surface plasmons (SPs) excited at the sharp metal tip not only enhance the local electric field to harvest the light incident from the laser, but crucially supply 'hot electrons' whose energy can be transferred to individual bonds. These processes are resonant Raman, which result in some active chemical bonds and then weaken these bonds, followed by dumping in lots of indiscriminant energy and breaking the weakest bond. The method allows for sensitive control of both the rate and probability of dissociation through their dependence on the density of hot electrons, which can be manipulated by tuning the laser intensity or tunneling current/bias voltage in the HV-TERS setup, respectively. The concepts of plasmonic scissors open up new versatile avenues for the deep understanding of in situ surface-catalyzed chemistry.

Theoretical Study of Plasmon-Enhanced Surface Catalytic Coupling Reactions of Aromatic Amines and Nitro Compounds

Taking advantage of the unique capacity of surface plasmon resonance, plasmon-enhanced heterogeneous catalysis has recently come into focus as a promising technique for high performance light-energy conversion. This work performs a theoretical study on the reaction mechanism for conversions of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) and p-nitrothiophenol (PNTP) to aromatic azo species, p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB). In the absence of O2 or H2, the plasmon-driven photocatalysis mechanism (hot electron-hole reactions) is the major reaction channel. In the presence of O2 or H2, the plasmon-assisted surface catalysis mechanism (activated oxygen/hydrogen reactions) is the major reaction channel. The present results show that the coupling reactions of PATP and PNTP strongly depend on the solution pH, the irradiation wavelength, the irradiation power, and the nature of metal substrates as well as the surrounding atmosphere. The present study has drawn a fundamental physical picture for understanding plasmon-enhanced heterogeneous catalysis.

Plasmonic nanostructures to enhance catalytic performance of zeolites under visible light

Light absorption efficiency of heterogeneous catalysts has restricted their photocatalytic capability for commercially important organic synthesis. Here, we report a way of harvesting visible light efficiently to boost zeolite catalysis by means of plasmonic gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) supported on zeolites. Zeolites possess strong Brønsted acids and polarized electric fields created by extra-framework cations. The polarized electric fields can be further intensified by the electric near-field enhancement of Au-NPs, which results from the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) upon visible light irradiation. The acetalization reaction was selected as a showcase performed on MZSM-5 and Au/MZSM-5 (M = H⁺, Na⁺, Ca²⁺, or La³⁺). The density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the intensified polarized electric fields played a critical role in stretching the C = O bond of the reactants of benzaldehyde to enlarge their molecular polarities, thus allowing reactants to be activated more efficiently by catalytic centers so as to boost the reaction rates. This discovery should evoke intensive research interest on plasmonic metals and diverse zeolites with an aim to take advantage of sunlight for plasmonic devices, molecular electronics, energy storage, and catalysis.

A unique surface-initiated property of nanoparticles and application for the synthesis of hybrid organic–inorganic nanoparticles

Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles initiate the polymerization of a vinyl monomer of acrylamide on the surface to form novel organic–inorganic hybrid nanomaterials.

Catalytic and photocatalytic transformations on metal nanoparticles with targeted geometric and plasmonic properties

Heterogeneous catalysis by metals was among the first enabling technologies that extensively relied on nanoscience. The early intersections of catalysis and nanoscience focused on the synthesis of catalytic materials with high surface to volume ratio. These synthesis strategies mainly involved the impregnation of metal salts on high surface area supports. This would usually yield quasi-spherical nanoparticles capped by low-energy surface facets, typically with closely packed metal atoms. These high density areas often function as the catalytically active surface sites. Unfortunately, strategies to control the functioning surface facet (i.e., the geometry of active sites that performs catalytic turnover) are rare and represent a significant challenge in our ability to fine-tune and optimize the reactive surfaces. Through recent developments in colloidal chemistry, chemists have been able to synthesize metallic nanoparticles of both targeted size and desired shape. This has opened new possibilities for the design of heterogeneous catalytic materials, since metal nanoparticles of different shapes are terminated with different surface facets. By controlling the surface facet exposed to reactants, we can start affecting the chemical transformations taking place on the metal particles and changing the outcome of catalytic processes. Controlling the size and shape of metal nanoparticles also allows us to control the optical properties of these materials. For example, noble metals nanoparticles (Au, Ag, Cu) interact with UV-vis light through an excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which is highly sensitive to the size and shape of the nanostructures. This excitation is accompanied by the creation of short-lived energetic electrons on the surface of the nanostructure. We showed recently that these energetic electrons could drive photocatalytic transformations on these nanostructures. The photocatalytic, electron-driven processes on metal nanoparticles represent a new family of chemical transformations exhibiting fundamentally different behavior compared with phonon-driven thermal processes, potentially allowing selective bond activation. In this Account, we discuss both the impact of the shape of metal nanoparticles on the outcome of heterogeneous catalytic reactions and the direct, electron-driven photocatalysis on plasmonic metal nanostructures of noble metals. These two phenomena are important examples of taking advantage of physical properties of metal materials that are controlled at nanoscales to affect chemical transformations.

Coupling of surface plasmon with InGaAs/GaAs quantum well emission by gold nanodisk arrays

Enhancement of photoluminescence (PL) intensity from InGaAs/GaAs quantum well (QW) is achieved experimentally by coupling surface plasmon (SP) resonance with QW emission. The SP resonance is generated by fabricating a periodic Au nanodisk array on top of InGaAs/GaAs QW structure. A thin layer of SiO(2) between Au nanodisk and GaAs surface has been employed to achieve easy adjustment of the SP resonance. A 4.16 fold enhancement of PL intensity was observed. Theoretical simulation results match well with the experimental results and confirm that the PL emission is enhanced by SP coupling with the fabricated structure.

Silver nanoscale antisense drug delivery system for photoactivated gene silencing

The unique photophysical properties of noble metal nanoparticles contribute to their potential as photoactivated drug delivery vectors. Here we demonstrate the synthesis and characterization of 60-80 nm silver nanoparticles (SNPs) decorated with thiol-terminated photolabile DNA oligonucleotides. In vitro assays and fluorescent confocal microscopy of treated cell cultures show efficient UV-wavelength photoactivation of surface-tethered caged ISIS2302 antisense oligonucleotides possessing internal photocleavable linkers. As a demonstration of the advantages of these novel nanocarriers, we investigate properties including: enhanced stability to nucleases, increased hybridization activity upon photorelease, and efficient cellular uptake as compared to commercial transfection vectors. Their potential as multicomponent delivery agents for oligonucleotide therapeutics is shown through regulation of ICAM-1 (Intracellular Adhesion Molecule-1) silencing. Our results suggest a means to achieve light-triggered, spatiotemporally controlled gene silencing via nontoxic silver nanocarriers, which hold promise as tailorable platforms for nanomedicine, gene expression studies, and genetic therapies.