Endothermic reaction at room temperature enabled by deep-ultraviolet plasmons.

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Surface Chemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Metallic nanoparticles can lower reaction temperatures by transferring light energy to gas molecules.
• Previous plasmon-driven reactions were exothermic and required low activation energies (<2 eV).
• Visible-light plasmons are suitable for low-energy reactions, but not high-energy ones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of deep-UV localized surface plasmons for initiating high-energy endothermic reactions at room temperature.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using plasmonic fields for industrially relevant chemical processes.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing deep-UV localized surface plasmons excited by high-energy electrons.
• Employing aluminum (Al) nanoparticles to excite multiple localized surface plasmon modes.
• Using an environmental transmission electron microscope (ETEM) for excitation, characterization, and spatial distribution measurement of gasification.

Main Results:

• Successfully initiated the endothermic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO) at room temperature.
• Demonstrated simultaneous excitation of multiple Al nanoparticle plasmon modes.
• Measured the spatial distribution of carbon gasification near Al nanoparticles in a CO2 environment.

Conclusions:

• Deep-UV plasmonics can drive high-activation-energy endothermic reactions at room temperature.
• This approach is effective for CO2 reduction, offering a potential pathway for carbon utilization.
• The methodology provides a platform for exploring other plasmon-initiated chemical processes.