Strong synergy between gold nanoparticles and cobalt porphyrin induces highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36934092.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-37271-9 and PMC identifier 10024688.
- 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
The reaction efficiency of reactants near plasmonic nanostructures can be enhanced significantly because of plasmonic effects. Herein, we propose that the catalytic activity of molecular catalysts near plasmonic nanostructures may also be enhanced dramatically. Based on this proposal, we develop a highly efficient and stable photocatalytic system for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by compositing a molecular catalyst of cobalt porphyrin together with plasmonic gold nanoparticles, around which plasmonic effects of localized electromagnetic field, local heating, and enhanced hot carrier excitation exist. After optimization, the HER rate and turn-over frequency (TOF) reach 3.21 mol g<sup>-1</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> and 4650 h<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. In addition, the catalytic system remains stable after 45-hour catalytic cycles, and the system is catalytically stable after being illuminated for two weeks. The enhanced reaction efficiency is attributed to the excitation of localized surface plasmon resonance, particularly plasmon-generated hot carriers. These findings may pave a new and convenient way for developing plasmon-based photocatalysts with high efficiency and stability.