Unravelling the effect of charge dynamics at the plasmonic metal/semiconductor interface for CO<sub>2</sub> photoreduction.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30478316.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-018-07397-2 and PMC identifier 6255847.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Sunlight plays a critical role in the development of emerging sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies. Light-induced CO<sub>2</sub> reduction by artificial photosynthesis is one of the cornerstones to produce renewable fuels and environmentally friendly chemicals. Interface interactions between plasmonic metal nanoparticles and semiconductors exhibit improved photoactivities under a wide range of the solar spectrum. However, the photo-induced charge transfer processes and their influence on photocatalysis with these materials are still under debate, mainly due to the complexity of the involved routes occurring at different timescales. Here, we use a combination of advanced in situ and time-resolved spectroscopies covering different timescales, combined with theoretical calculations, to unravel the overall mechanism of photocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction by Ag/TiO<sub>2</sub> catalysts. Our findings provide evidence of the key factors determining the enhancement of photoactivity under ultraviolet and visible irradiation, which have important implications for the design of solar energy conversion materials.