Switching of electrochemical selectivity due to plasmonic field-induced dissociation

Electrochemical reactivity is known to be dictated by the structure and composition of the electrocatalyst-electrolyte interface. Here, we show that optically generated electric fields at this interface can influence electrochemical reactivity insofar as to completely switch reaction selectivity. We study an electrocatalyst composed of gold-copper alloy nanoparticles known to be active toward the reduction of CO₂ to CO. However, under the action of highly localized electric fields generated by plasmonic excitation of the gold-copper alloy nanoparticles, water splitting becomes favored at the expense of CO₂ reduction. Real-time time-dependent density functional tight binding calculations indicate that optically generated electric fields promote transient-hole-transfer-driven dissociation of the O─H bond of water preferentially over transient-electron-driven dissociation of the C─O bond of CO₂. These results highlight the potential of optically generated electric fields for modulating pathways, switching reactivity on/off, and even directing outcomes.