Probing Charge Transport Kinetics in a Plasmonic Environment with Cyclic Voltammetry

Possible modifications in electrochemical reaction kinetics are explored in a nanostructured plasmonic environment with and without additional light illumination using a cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. In nanostructured gold, the effect of light on anodic and cathodic currents is much pronounced than that in a flat system. The electron-transfer rate shows a 3-fold increase under photoexcitation. The findings indicate a possibility of using plasmonic excitations for controlling electrochemical reactions.