Halide-assisted activation of atomic hydrogen for photoreduction on two-liquid interfacial plasmonic arrays

Here, we show a two-liquid interfacial 3D plasmonic array for SERS examination on direct photoreduction of p-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) to p-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) without the need for traditional catalysts and reductants, revealing the mechanism of halide-assisted activation of atomic hydrogen and the balance between the enhancing effect from etching of the Ag surface and the weakening effect from the reduction of the 4-NTP molecules, which provides insights into the light-to-energy conversion schemes on noble metal surfaces.