Photomodulated Spatially Confined Chemical Reactivity in a Single Silver Nanoprism

Silver-based bimetallic nanozyme fabrics with peroxidase-mimic activity for urinary glucose detection

The enhanced catalytic properties of bimetallic nanoparticles have been extensively investigated. In this study, bimetallic Ag-M (M = Au, Pt, or Pd) cotton fabrics were fabricated using a combination of electroless deposition and galvanic replacement reactions, and improvement in their peroxidase-mimicking catalytic activity compared to that of the parent Ag fabric was studied. The Ag-Pt bimetallic nanozyme fabric, which showed the highest catalytic activity and ability to simultaneously generate hydroxyl (•OH) and superoxide (O2•-) radicals, was assessed as a urine glucose sensor. This nanozyme fabric sensor could directly detect urinary glucose in the pathophysiologically relevant high millimolar range without requiring sample predilution. The sensor could achieve performance on par with that of the current clinical gold standard assay. These features of the Ag-Pt nanozyme sensor, particularly its ability to avoid interference effects from complex urinary matrices, position it as a viable candidate for point-of-care urinary glucose monitoring.

Anisotropic growth of Au-Ag heteronanostructures through plasmon-induced reduction

Plasmonic heteronanostructures are promising building blocks for photofunctional materials and devices including photocatalysts, optical materials, and optoelectronic devices. In the present work, we fabricated Au-Ag bimetallic heteronanostructures based on site-selective and anisotropic Ag deposition and growth on Au nanocubes. Plasmonic Au nanocubes were adsorbed onto a glass plate, and the distal mode or proximal-distal mode of the nanocubes was selectively excited in the presence of Ag+ and citrate ions. Polycrystalline Ag was deposited around the top of the Au nanocubes by the distal mode excitation, and single crystalline Ag was grown laterally from the Au nanocubes by the proximal-distal mode excitation. The present method would be applied to the fabrication of various plasmonic nanostructures composed of two or more heterodomains.

Photoinduced Stitching of Self-Assembled Triangular Silver Nanoprisms at the Air-Water Interface

This study investigates the influence of optical excitation on the self-assembly of triangular nanoprisms of silver into a continuous monolayer at the air-water interface. Langmuir monolayers of octadecylamine (ODA) have been used to electrostatically assemble citrate-capped silver triangular nanoprisms (AgTNPs) in the presence and absence of light. Under optical excitation, the nanoprisms were observed to assemble into a well-ordered monolayer through plasmon-mediated stitching, whereas the particles were merely in close contact during assembly in the dark. These findings suggest new avenues for tailoring particle properties through light-mediated assembly in two dimensions.

Plasmon induced hot carrier distribution in Ag20 -CO composite

The interaction between plasmons and the molecules leads to the transfer of plasmon-induced hot carriers, presenting innovative opportunities for controlling chemical reactions on sub-femtosecond timescales. Through real-time time-dependent density functional theory simulations, we have investigated the enhancement of the electric field due to plasmon excitation and the subsequent generation and transfer of plasmon-induced hot carriers in a linear atomic chain of Ag20 and an Ag20 -CO composite system. By applying a Gaussian laser pulse tuned to align with the plasmon frequency, we observe a plasmon-induced transfer of hot electrons from the occupied states of Ag to the unoccupied molecular orbitals of CO. Remarkably, there is a pronounced accumulation of hot electrons and hot holes on the C and O atoms. This phenomenon arises from the electron migration from the inter-nuclear regions of the C-O bond towards the individual C and O atoms. The insights garnered from our study hold the potential to drive advancements in the development of more efficient systems for catalytic processes empowered by plasmonic interactions.

Streamlines of the Poynting Vector and Chirality Flux around a Plasmonic Bowtie Nanoantenna

The streamlines of the energy flux (Poynting vectors) and chirality flux as well as the intensity of the electric field around various plasmonic nanostructures (nanocube, nanocuboid, nanotriangle, hexagonal nanoplate and bowtie nanoantenna) induced by a circularly polarized (CP) or linearly polarized (LP) light were studied theoretically. The boundary element method combined with the method of moment was used to solve a set of surface integral equations, based on the Stratton-Chu formulation, for analyzing the highly distorted electromagnetic (EM) field in the proximity of these nanostructures. We discovered that the winding behavior of these streamlines exhibits versatility for various modes of the surface plasmon resonance of different nanostructures. Recently, using plasmonic nanostructures to facilitate a photochemical reaction has gained significant attention, where the hot carriers (electrons) play important roles. Our findings reveal a connection between the flow pattern of energy flux and the morphology of the photochemical deposition around various plasmonic nanostructures irradiated by a CP light. For example, numerical results exhibit vertically helical streamlines of the Poynting vector around an Au nanocube and transversely twisted-roll streamlines around a nanocuboid. Additionally, the behaviors of the winding energy and chirality fluxes at the gap and corners of a plasmonic bowtie nanoantenna, implying a highly twisted EM field, depend on the polarization of the incident LP light. Our analysis of the streamlines of the Poynting vector and chirality flux offers an insight into the formation of plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis.

Balancing Near-Field Enhancement and Hot Carrier Injection: Plasmonic Photocatalysis in Energy-Transfer Cascade Assemblies

Photocatalysis stands as a very promising alternative to photovoltaics in exploiting solar energy and storing it in chemical products through a single-step process. A central obstacle to its broad implementation is its low conversion efficiency, motivating research in different fields to bring about a breakthrough in this technology. Using plasmonic materials to photosensitize traditional semiconductor photocatalysts is a popular strategy whose full potential is yet to be fully exploited. In this work, we use CdS quantum dots as a bridge system, reaping energy from Au nanostructures and delivering it to TiO2 nanoparticles serving as catalytic centers. The quantum dots can do this by becoming an intermediate step in a charge-transfer cascade initiated in the plasmonic system or by creating an electron-hole pair at an improved rate due to their interaction with the enhanced near-field created by the plasmonic nanoparticles. Our results show a significant acceleration in the reaction upon combining these elements in hybrid colloidal photocatalysts that promote the role of the near-field enhancement effect, and we show how to engineer complexes exploiting this approach. In doing so, we also explore the complex interplay between the different mechanisms involved in the photocatalytic process, highlighting the importance of the Au nanoparticles' morphology in their photosensitizing capabilities.

Plasmonic Cavity-Catalysis by Standing Hot Carrier Waves

Manipulating active sites of catalysts is crucial but challenging in catalysis science and engineering. Beyond the design of the composition and structure of catalysts, the confined electromagnetic field in optical cavities has recently become a promising method for catalyzing chemical reactions via strong light-matter interactions. Another form of confined electromagnetic field, the charge density wave in plasmonic cavities, however, still needs to be explored for catalysis. Here, we present an unprecedented catalytic mode based on plasmonic cavities, called plasmonic cavity-catalysis. We achieve direct control of catalytic sites in plasmonic cavities through standing hot carrier waves. Periodic catalytic hotspots are formed because of localized energy and carrier distribution and can be well tuned by cavity geometry, charge density, and excitation angle. We also found that the catalytic activity of the cavity mode increases several orders of magnitude compared with conventional plasmonic catalysis. We ultimately demonstrate that the locally concentrated long-lived hot carriers in the standing wave mode underlie the formation of the catalytic hotspots. Plasmonic cavity-catalysis provides a new approach to manipulate the catalytic sites and rates and may expand the frontier of heterogeneous catalysis.

Photothermal Nanomaterials: A Powerful Light-to-Heat Converter

All forms of energy follow the law of conservation of energy, by which they can be neither created nor destroyed. Light-to-heat conversion as a traditional yet constantly evolving means of converting light into thermal energy has been of enduring appeal to researchers and the public. With the continuous development of advanced nanotechnologies, a variety of photothermal nanomaterials have been endowed with excellent light harvesting and photothermal conversion capabilities for exploring fascinating and prospective applications. Herein we review the latest progresses on photothermal nanomaterials, with a focus on their underlying mechanisms as powerful light-to-heat converters. We present an extensive catalogue of nanostructured photothermal materials, including metallic/semiconductor structures, carbon materials, organic polymers, and two-dimensional materials. The proper material selection and rational structural design for improving the photothermal performance are then discussed. We also provide a representative overview of the latest techniques for probing photothermally generated heat at the nanoscale. We finally review the recent significant developments of photothermal applications and give a brief outlook on the current challenges and future directions of photothermal nanomaterials.

Synthesis of silver leaves and their potential application for analysis and degradation of phenolic pollutants

A one-pot bottom-up synthesis method was used to synthesise multi-level leaf-like nano-silver (silver leaf) by simply mixing AgNO3 , L-ascorbic acid, Sodium sodium citrate, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the ethanol-water mixed solvents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterisations show that the silver leaves have tertiary structures and their sizes are controllable. In addition, silver leaves exhibit excellent Raman enhancement effect (SERS) and chemical catalytic activities for phenolic molecules. Interestingly, the SERS and catalytic activities increase as the size of the silver leaves decrease within a certain range, but when the size is too small, both of these performances weaken. The nanometre size and interstitial structure have a common amplification effect and influence on these activities. The present work not only showed a new method for the synthesis of silver leaves but also could be generalised to find other metallic leaves that could be used as promising heterogeneous catalysts for various reactions. The production of such small-sized silver leaves will facilitate the analysis of phenolic pollutants through Raman enhancement and treat these pollutants through catalytic degradation.

Surface-Plasmon-Assisted Growth, Reshaping and Transformation of Nanomaterials

Excitation of surface plasmon resonance of metal nanostructures is a promising way to break the limit of optical diffraction and to achieve a great enhancement of the local electromagnetic field by the confinement of optical field at the nanoscale. Meanwhile, the relaxation of collective oscillation of electrons will promote the generation of hot carrier and localized thermal effects. The enhanced electromagnetic field, hot carriers and localized thermal effects play an important role in spectral enhancement, biomedicine and catalysis of chemical reactions. In this review, we focus on surface-plasmon-assisted nanomaterial reshaping, growth and transformation. Firstly, the mechanisms of surface-plasmon-modulated chemical reactions are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of recent advances on plasmon-assisted self-reshaping, growth and etching of plasmonic nanostructures. Then, we discuss plasmon-assisted growth/deposition of non-plasmonic nanostructures and transformation of luminescent nanocrystal. Finally, we present our views on the current status and perspectives on the future of the field. We believe that this review will promote the development of surface plasmon in the regulation of nanomaterials.

A minireview on the synthesis of single atom catalysts

Single atom catalysis is a prosperous and rapidly growing research field, owing to the remarkable advantages of single atom catalysts (SACs), such as maximized atom utilization efficiency, tailorable catalytic activities as well as supremely high catalytic selectivity. Synthesis approaches play crucial roles in determining the properties and performance of SACs. Over the past few years, versatile methods have been adopted to synthesize SACs. Herein, we give a thorough and up-to-date review on the progress of approaches for the synthesis of SACs, outline the general principles and list the advantages and disadvantages of each synthesis approach, with the aim to give the readers a clear picture and inspire more studies to exploit novel approaches to synthesize SACs effectively.

Local Growth Mediated by Plasmonic Hot Carriers: Chirality from Achiral Nanocrystals Using Circularly Polarized Light

Plasmonic nanocrystals and their assemblies are excellent tools to create functional systems, including systems with strong chiral optical responses. Here we study the possibility of growing chiral plasmonic nanocrystals from strictly nonchiral seeds of different types by using circularly polarized light as the chirality-inducing mechanism. We present a novel theoretical methodology that simulates realistic nonlinear and inhomogeneous photogrowth processes in plasmonic nanocrystals, mediated by the excitation of hot carriers that can drive surface chemistry. We show the strongly anisotropic and chiral growth of oriented nanocrystals with lowered symmetry, with the striking feature that such chiral growth can appear even for nanocrystals with subwavelength sizes. Furthermore, we show that the chiral growth of nanocrystals in solution is fundamentally challenging. This work explores new ways of growing monolithic chiral plasmonic nanostructures and can be useful for the development of plasmonic photocatalysis and fabrication technologies.