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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Non-equilibrium Microwave Plasma for Efficient High Temperature Chemistry
Published on: August 1, 2017
High-temperature organic reactions at room temperature using plasmon excitation: decomposition of dicumyl peroxide
Chiara Fasciani1, Carlos J Bueno Alejo, Michel Grenier
1Department of Chemistry and Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation, University of Ottawa, 10 Marie Curie, Ottawa, K1N 6N5, ON, Canada.
Abstract:
Photoexcitation of gold nanoparticles in their plasmon transition around 530 nm provides the means to carry high-energy reactions at room temperature. In the case of dicumyl peroxide (with activation energy of 34.3 kcal/mol) the reaction occurs in less than 1 min under 532 nm laser excitation. The results suggest that the peroxide is exposed to temperatures of ~500 °C for submicrosecond times, and provides a guide as to which type of organic reactions may benefit from plasmon-mediated energy delivery.
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