Quantifying plasmon resonance and interband transition contributions in photocatalysis of gold nanoparticle*

Abstract

Localized surface plasmon has been extensively studied and used for the photocatalysis of various chemical reactions. However, the different contributions between plasmon resonance and interband transition in photocatalysis has not been well understood. Here, we study the photothermal and hot electrons effects for crystal transformation by combining controlled experiments with numerical simulations. By photo-excitation of NaYF4 : Eu3+ @Au composite structure, it is found that the plasmonic catalysis is much superior to that of interband transition in the experiments, owing to the hot electrons generated by plasmon decay more energetic to facilitate the reaction. We emphasize that the energy level of hot electrons plays an essential role for improving the photocatalytic activity. The results provide guidelines for improving the efficiency of plasmonic catalysis in future experimental design.

Gold–Rhodium Nanoflowers for the Plasmon-Enhanced CO2 Electroreduction Reaction upon Visible Light

“…To further understand the impact of illumination on the reaction mechanism, it is important to determine which transition has the major contribution to the observed increase in activity. In general, authors have reported empirical and/or theoretical methods to address the contribution of different transitions in their systems. ,− Nonetheless, to fully discern the contribution of the transitions is quite challenging, and it requires intraband and interband transitions to have their individual response in different regions of the spectrum, allowing the authors to investigate their impact on a catalytic reaction individually . To do so, the authors usually explore monometallic systems , or more complex systems , that have each intraband and interband transitions well separated in the spectrum.…”

Photodynamic Therapy and Multi-Modality Imaging of Up-Conversion Nanomaterial Doped with AuNPs

“…However, the typical challenge is that it has insufficient light intensity and is poisonous to biological cells; therefore, its structure and surface must be modified [2]. Many scholars have proposed doping Mo 3+ , Cu 2+ [3,4], and other metal ions in the NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Er 3+ unit cell to increase the luminous intensity [5,6], but the effect is not significant. Others have offered sliver doping [7], which has a large impact as well; however, sliver is poisonous to cells, may cause cell death without targeting, and cannot be employed in biology.…”

Synthesis of Rare-Earth Nanomaterials Ag-Doped NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+@NaYF4:Nd3+@NaGdF4 for In Vivo Imaging

“…As a result of their enhanced optical and magnetic properties, and also improved X-ray attenuation, lanthanide-doped upconverted nanoparticles (UCNPs) might be perfect for building multifunctional bioprobes by doping with various rare earth ions without modifying other functions. Many scholars have proposed doping Mo 3+ , Cu 2+ , and other metal ions in the NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Er 3+ unit cell to increase the luminous intensity, but the effect is not significant [ 5 , 6 ]. Others have proposed doping with silver, which also has a significant effect, but silver has a high light-to-heat conversion efficiency, can cause cell apoptosis without targeting, and cannot be used in biology [ 7 , 8 ].…”