Enhanced plasmonic photocatalysis by SiO 2 @Bi microspheres with hot-electron transportation channels via Bi–O–Si linkages

Cocatalysts for Selective Photoreduction of CO2into Solar Fuels

“…The photocatalytic mechanisms for SPR are shown in Figure C. Nanostructures of noble metals (mainly Au and Ag) can generate hot plasmonic electrons by SPR-mediated charge injection. − It should be noted that the near-field electromagnetic and scattering mechanisms can also be used to explain the plasmonic photocatalysis observed in the systems where semiconductors are separated with plasmonic metals by non-conductive spacers. , Recently, to avoid the high cost and the low abundance of noble plasmonic metals, noble-metal-free plasmonic metals, such as Bi and Cu have attracted a lot of attention. − It is expected that in the future the plasmonic photocatalysis can be further enhanced through tuning the composition, morphology and structure of the metals. In addition, the mechanism of IFCT (Figure D) is used to explain the photoexcitation by the incident photons with energy smaller than their corresponding band gap energies.…”

Controllable Synthesis of Core–Shell Bi@Amorphous Bi2O3 Nanospheres with Tunable Optical and Photocatalytic Activity for NO Removal

“…9,11−13 Bismuth (Bi), endowed with unique electronic properties, has been found to display optical resonances whose spectral position and width are sensitive to size control, like Ag. 14,15 Toudert et al theoretically illustrated that the SPR band can be tuned in the whole near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared range by changing the size and shape of bismuth nanoparticles. 16 Afterward, bismuth nanospheres with a size range of 30−60 nm were prepared by Wang et plasmon band shifted from the UV to the visible wavelength range with the size increase.…”

“…In general, the size, morphology, and structure of Bi nanoparticles can significantly affect its photocatalytic performance. 11,15 In recent years, core/shell morphology has attracted increasing attention because it can fulfill the diverse application requirements by tuning the surface functions and limiting the crystal nucleus size. 19−21 The shell coating enables the manipulation over the properties of the core material, leading to increased functionality and stability.…”

“…Recently, plasmonic photocatalysis has attracted more and more attention because it is promising to overcome drawbacks such as limited visible-light absorption ability and high charge carriers’ recombination rate of photocatalysts via combining nanostructured plasmonic metals with semiconductor-based material. − When the oscillating frequencies of free electrons in metal nanoparticles (such as Au, Ag, Cu, and Bi) and incoming photons are matched, it can give rise to so-called surface plasmon resonance (SPR) which can trigger the subsequent redox reactions. ,− Bismuth (Bi), endowed with unique electronic properties, has been found to display optical resonances whose spectral position and width are sensitive to size control, like Ag. , Toudert et al theoretically illustrated that the SPR band can be tuned in the whole near-ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared range by changing the size and shape of bismuth nanoparticles . Afterward, bismuth nanospheres with a size range of 30–60 nm were prepared by Wang et al to devote to the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) in visible light utilizing SPR and they predicted the surface plasmon band shifted from the UV to the visible wavelength range with the size increase .…”

“…In general, the size, morphology, and structure of Bi nanoparticles can significantly affect its photocatalytic performance. , In recent years, core/shell morphology has attracted increasing attention because it can fulfill the diverse application requirements by tuning the surface functions and limiting the crystal nucleus size. − The shell coating enables the manipulation over the properties of the core material, leading to increased functionality and stability. − For example, metal core@metal oxides shell nanocomposites are endowed with remarkable advantages as heterogeneous photocatalysts such as enhanced stability, prolonged lifetime of photogenerated carriers, and increased interfacial charge transfer process. ,− Considering the unique merits of the core/shell structure and SPR effect of Bi, various methods have been adopted to construct Bi-based core/shell structure. It was reported that a Bi@Bi 2 O 3 nanostructure synthesized via a microwave-assisted solvothermal route exhibited an efficient photocatalytic activity toward rhodamine B and methyl orange (MO) under UV light .…”