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Hot‐Electron‐Transfer Enhancement for the Efficient Energy Conversion of Visible Light
Author(s) -
Yu Sungju,
Kim Yong Hwa,
Lee Su Young,
Song Hyeon Don,
Yi Jongheop
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201405598
Subject(s) - plasmon , photoluminescence , materials science , optoelectronics , semiconductor , nanostructure , electron , quantum dot , electron transfer , nanoparticle , spectroscopy , plasmonic nanoparticles , nanotechnology , photochemistry , chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Great strides have been made in enhancing solar energy conversion by utilizing plasmonic nanostructures in semiconductors. However, current generation with plasmonic nanostructures is still somewhat inefficient owing to the ultrafast decay of plasmon‐induced hot electrons. It is now shown that the ultrafast decay of hot electrons across Au nanoparticles can be significantly reduced by strong coupling with CdS quantum dots and by a Schottky junction with perovskite SrTiO 3 nanoparticles. The designed plasmonic nanostructure with three distinct components enables a hot‐electron‐assisted energy cascade for electron transfer, CdS→Au→SrTiO 3 , as demonstrated by steady‐state and time‐resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Consequently, hot‐electron transfer enabled the efficient production of H 2 from water as well as significant electron harvesting under irradiation with visible light of various wavelengths. These findings provide a new approach for overcoming the low efficiency that is typically associated with plasmonic nanostructures.