Plasmon-Enhanced Chemical Conversion Using Copper Selenide Nanoparticles

The syntheses, properties, and broad utility of noble metal plasmonic nanomaterials are now well-established. To capitalize on this exceptional utility, mitigate its cost, and potentially expand it, non-noble metal plasmonic materials have become a topic of widespread interest. As new plasmonic materials come online, it is important to understand and assess their ability to generate comparable or complementary plasmonic properties to their noble metal counterparts, including as both sensing and photoredox materials. Here, we study plasmon-driven chemistry on degenerately doped copper selenide (Cu_{2- x}Se) nanoparticles. In particular, we observe plasmon-driven dimerization of 4-nitrobenzenethiol to 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene on Cu_{2- x}Se surfaces with yields comparable to those observed from noble metal nanoparticles. Overall, our results indicate that doped semiconductor nanoparticles are promising for light-driven chemistry technologies.