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Kharbanda N, Sachdeva M, Ghorai N, Kaur A, Kumar V, Ghosh HN. Plasmon-Induced Ultrafast Hot Hole Transfer in Nonstoichiometric Cu xIn yS/CdS Heteronanocrystals. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:5056-5062. [PMID: 38701388 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Plasmonic semiconductors are promising candidates for developing energy conversion devices due to their tunable band gap, cost-effectiveness, and nontoxicity. Such materials exhibit remarkable capabilities for harvesting infrared photons, which constitute half of the solar energy spectrum. Herein, we have synthesized near-infrared (NIR) active CuxInyS nanocrystals and CuxInyS/CdS heterostructure nanocrystals (HNCs) to investigate plasmon-induced charge transfer dynamics on an ultrafast time scale. Employing femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we demonstrate that upon exciting the HNCs with sub-band gap NIR photons (λ = 840 nm), the hot holes are generated in the valence band of plasmonic CuxInyS and transferred to the adjacent semiconductor. The decreased signal intensity and accelerated hole phonon relaxation dynamics for HNCs reveal efficient transfer of plasmon-induced hot carriers from CuxInyS to CdS under both 840 and 350 nm laser excitations, providing a pathway for enhanced carrier utilization. These findings shed light on the potential of ternary chalcogenides in plasmonic applications, highlighting efficient hot carrier extraction to adjacent semiconductors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitika Kharbanda
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Manvi Sachdeva
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Nandan Ghorai
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Arshdeep Kaur
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Vikas Kumar
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Hirendra N Ghosh
- School of Chemical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 752050, India
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Warkentin CL, Frontiera RR. Quantifying the ultrafast and steady-state molecular reduction potential of a plasmonic photocatalyst. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305932120. [PMID: 37874859 PMCID: PMC10623017 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305932120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmonic materials are promising photocatalysts as they are well suited to convert light into hot carriers and heat. Hot electron transfer is suggested as the driving force in many plasmon-driven reactions. However, to date, there are no direct molecular measures of the rate and yield of plasmon-to-molecule electron transfer or energy of these electrons on the timescale of plasmon decay. Here, we use ultrafast and spectroelectrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to quantify electron transfer from a plasmonic substrate to adsorbed methyl viologen molecules. We observe a reduction yield of 2.4 to 3.5% on the picosecond timescale, with plasmon-induced potentials ranging from [Formula: see text]3.1 to [Formula: see text]4.5 mV. Excitingly, some of these reduced species are stabilized and persist for tens of minutes. This work provides concrete metrics toward optimizing material-molecule interactions for efficient plasmon-driven photocatalysis.
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Gao Y, Zhu Q, He S, Wang S, Nie W, Wu K, Fan F, Li C. Observation of Charge Separation Enhancement in Plasmonic Photocatalysts under Coupling Conditions. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:3540-3548. [PMID: 37026801 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Surface plasmon resonance-induced charge separation plays key roles in plasmon-related applications, especially in photocatalysis and photovoltaics. Plasmon coupling nanostructures exhibit extraordinary behaviors in hybrid states, phonon scattering, and ultrafast plasmon dephasing, but plasmon-induced charge separation in these materials remains unknown. Here, we design Schottky-free Au nanoparticle (NP)/NiO/Au nanoparticles-on-a-mirror plasmonic photocatalysts to support plasmon-induced interfacial hole transfer, evidenced by surface photovoltage microscopy at the single-particle level. In particular, we observe a nonlinear increase in charge density and photocatalytic performance with an increase in excitation intensity in plasmonic photocatalysts containing hot spots as a result of varying the geometry. Such charge separation increased the internal quantum efficiency by 14 times at 600 nm in catalytic reactions as compared to that of the Au NP/NiO without a coupling effect. These observations provide an improved understanding of charge transfer management and utilization by geometric engineering and interface electronic structure for plasmonic photocatalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuying Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, P. R. China
| | - Qianhong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, P. R. China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shan He
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Shengyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, P. R. China
| | - Wei Nie
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, P. R. China
| | - Kaifeng Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Fengtao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, P. R. China
| | - Can Li
- State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian 116023, P. R. China
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Schneider J, Curti M. Spectroscopic and kinetic characterization of photogenerated charge carriers in photocatalysts. PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN PHOTOCHEMISTRY ASSOCIATION AND THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR PHOTOBIOLOGY 2023; 22:195-217. [PMID: 36208411 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-022-00297-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The catastrophic consequences of increased power consumption, such as drastically rising CO2 levels, natural disasters, environmental pollution and dependence on fossil fuels supplied by countries with totalitarian regimes, illustrate the urge to develop sustainable technologies for energy generation. Photocatalysis presents eco-friendly means for fuels production via solar-to-chemical energy conversion. The conversion efficiency of a photocatalyst critically depends on charge carrier processes taking place in the ultrafast time regime. Transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) serves as a perfect tool to track those processes. The spectral and kinetic characterization of charge carriers is indispensable for the elucidation of photocatalytic mechanisms and for the development of new materials. Hence, in this review, we will first present the basics of TAS and subsequently discuss the procedure required for the interpretation of the transient absorption spectra and transient kinetics. The discussion will include specific examples for charge carrier processes occurring in conventional and plasmonic semiconductors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Schneider
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, Butenandtstraße 1-11, 81377, Munich, Germany.
| | - Mariano Curti
- Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Avda. Països Catalans 16, 43007, Tarragona, Spain.
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Liu G, Lou Y, Zhao Y, Burda C. Directional Damping of Plasmons at Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces. Acc Chem Res 2022; 55:1845-1856. [PMID: 35696292 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
ConspectusOver the past decade, it has been shown that surface plasmons can enhance photoelectric conversion in photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and other optoelectronic applications through their plasmonic absorption and damping processes. However, plasmonically enhanced devices have yet to routinely match or exceed the efficiencies of traditional semiconductor devices. The effect of plasmonic losses dissipates the absorbed photoenergy mostly into heat and that has hampered the realization of superior next-generation plasmonic optoelectronic devices. Several approaches are being explored to alleviate this situation, including using gain to compensate for the plasmonic losses, designing and synthesizing alternative low-loss plasmonic materials, and reducing activation barriers in plasmonic devices and physical thicknesses of photoabsorber layers to lower the plasmonic losses. A newly proposed plasmon-induced interfacial charge-transfer transition (PIICTT) mechanism has proven to be effective in minimizing energy loss during interfacial charge transfer. The PIICTT leads to a damping of metallic plasmonics by directly generating excitons at the plasmonic metal/semiconductor heteronanostructures. This novel concept has been proven to overcome some of the limitations of electron-transfer inefficiencies, renewing a focus on surface plasmon damping processes with the goal that the plasmonic excitation energies of metal nanoparticles can be more efficiently transferred to the adjacent semiconductor components in the absence and presence of an effective interlayer of carrier-selective blocking layer (CSBL). Several theoretical and experimental studies have concluded that efficient plasmon-induced ultrafast hot-carrier transfer was observed in plasmonic-metal/semiconductor heteronanostructures. The PIICTT mechanism may well be a general phenomenon at plasmonic metal/semiconductor, metal/molecule, semiconductor/semiconductor, and semiconductor/molecule heterointerfaces. Thus, the PIICTT presents a new opportunity to limit energy loss in plasmonic-metal nanostructures and increase device efficiencies based on plasmonic coupling. The nonradiative damping of surface plasmons can impact the energy flux direction and thereby provide a new process beyond light trapping, focusing, and hot carrier creation.In this Account, we draw much attention to the benefits of interfacial plasmonic coupling, highlighting recent pioneering discoveries in which plasmon-induced interfacial charge- and energy-transfer processes enable the generation of hot charge carriers near the plasmonic-metal/semiconductor interfaces. This process is likely to increase the photoelectric conversion efficiency, constituting "plasmonic enhancement". We also discuss recent advances in the dynamics of surface plasmon relaxation and highlight exciting new possibilities for plasmonic metals and their interactions with strongly attached semiconductors to provide directional energy fluxes. While this new research area comes on the heels of much elaborate research on both metal and semiconductor nanomaterials, it provides a subtle but important refinement in understanding the optoelectronic properties of materials with far-reaching consequences from fundamental interface science to technological applications. We hope that this Account will contribute to a more systematic description of interface-coupled plasmonics, both fundamentally and in terms of applications toward the design of plasmonic heterostructured devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoning Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China.,School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei, Anhui 235000, P. R. China
| | - Yongbing Lou
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, P. R. China
| | - Yixin Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P. R. China
| | - Clemens Burda
- Department of Chemistry, Millis Science Center, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, United States
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Ghorai N, Ghosh HN. Chemical Interface Damping in Nonstoichiometric Semiconductor Plasmonic Nanocrystals: An Effect of the Surrounding Environment. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:5339-5350. [PMID: 35491746 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Semiconductor plasmonic nanocrystals (NCs) have been utilized for an enormous number of plasmon-enhanced spectroscopic and energy conversion applications. Plasmonic NCs are extremely high light absorbers, and optical properties can be easily manipulated across the UV-vis-NIR spectrum region by changing mere chemical compositions and the surrounding environment of the NCs. This feature article focuses on reassessing plasmon dynamics by changing the interface composition between NCs and the surrounding medium to ascertain the damping contribution from chemical interface damping (CID). Also, this feature article deciphers a fundamental understanding of hot-carrier relaxation and extraction from plasmonic materials. On the route to determining the different relaxation dynamics of nonstoichiometric Cu2-xS/Se NCs, we have employed a transient ultrafast pump-probe broadband spectrometer. First, we have described the ultrafast plasmon relaxation dynamics of nonstoichiometric Cu2-xS NCs by varying the copper to sulfur ratio, and then we carefully compare how two surface ligands (oleylamine and 3-mercaptopropionic acid) lead to significantly different transient kinetics of the same plasmonic (Cu2-xSe) NCs because of different capping agents. Along with this, we have described the impact of a molecular adsorbate (methylene blue) on ultrafast plasmon relaxation dynamics of the nonstoichiometric Cu2-xSe NCs system. Finally, the chemical interface damping effect has been compared in the Cu2-xS NCs system after capping with two distinct capping ligands: oleylamine and oleic acid. For the proof of concept, plasmonic thin-film devices were fabricated and exhibited higher conductivity/photoconductivity performance in oleic acid-capped NCs because of a deprotonated carboxyl functional group. We have also introduced a model and mechanism of chemical interface damping in a nonstoichiometric plasmonic semiconductor (Cu2-xS/Se) NC system. This feature article highlights the importance of the surface functionalization of nonstoichiometric plasmonic semiconductors to develop new advanced semiconductor-based devices such as infrared photodetectors, plasmonic solar cells, and efficient NIR phototransistors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nandan Ghorai
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Hirendra N Ghosh
- Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Knowledge City, Sector 81, SAS Nagar, Punjab 140306, India
- Radiation and Photochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085, India
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Manuel AP, Shankar K. Hot Electrons in TiO 2-Noble Metal Nano-Heterojunctions: Fundamental Science and Applications in Photocatalysis. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:1249. [PMID: 34068571 PMCID: PMC8151081 DOI: 10.3390/nano11051249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Plasmonic photocatalysis enables innovation by harnessing photonic energy across a broad swathe of the solar spectrum to drive chemical reactions. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the latest developments and issues for advanced research in plasmonic hot electron driven photocatalytic technologies focusing on TiO2-noble metal nanoparticle heterojunctions. In-depth discussions on fundamental hot electron phenomena in plasmonic photocatalysis is the focal point of this review. We summarize hot electron dynamics, elaborate on techniques to probe and measure said phenomena, and provide perspective on potential applications-photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, CO2 photoreduction, and photoelectrochemical water splitting-that benefit from this technology. A contentious and hitherto unexplained phenomenon is the wavelength dependence of plasmonic photocatalysis. Many published reports on noble metal-metal oxide nanostructures show action spectra where quantum yields closely follow the absorption corresponding to higher energy interband transitions, while an equal number also show quantum efficiencies that follow the optical response corresponding to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). We have provided a working hypothesis for the first time to reconcile these contradictory results and explain why photocatalytic action in certain plasmonic systems is mediated by interband transitions and in others by hot electrons produced by the decay of particle plasmons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajay P. Manuel
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada;
| | - Karthik Shankar
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada;
- Future Energy Systems Research Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1K4, Canada
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