Enhanced Electrochemistry of Single Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Understanding the structure-function relationship in plasmon-enhanced electrochemistry (PEEC) is crucial for designing efficient catalysts.
• Investigating PEEC at the single nanoparticle level is challenging due to the lack of suitable nanoscale methodologies.
• Plasmonic nanoparticles are key components in PEEC, influencing catalytic activity through light-matter interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and utilize a single nanoparticle PEEC methodology.
• To systematically explore the effect of incident light on plasmonic nanoparticles (Ag/Au) in accelerating cobalt metal-organic framework nanosheets (Co-MOFNs) catalyzed hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).
• To understand the underlying mechanisms of plasmon-enhanced catalysis at the nanoscale.

Main Methods:

• Development and application of nanoparticle impact electrochemistry for single nanoparticle analysis.
• Systematic investigation of plasmonic Ag/Au nanoparticles interacting with Co-MOFNs during HER.
• Establishment of a plasmonic nanoparticle filtering method for distinguishing different nanoparticles.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated single nanoparticle PEEC enabling detailed analysis of catalytic processes.
• Observed that plasmon-excited hot carrier injection lowers reaction activation energy for HER.
• Quantified promoted reaction probability and integral charge generated from individual nanoparticle collisions.

Conclusions:

• Single nanoparticle PEEC provides unprecedented insights into structure-function relationships.
• Plasmonic hot carrier injection is a key mechanism for enhancing catalytic activity in PEEC.
• The developed methodology and filtering technique offer a powerful tool for studying nano-confined catalytic domains.