Plasmonics for Chemical Transformation: From Fundamentals to the Cutting-Edge Applications

Plasmonic nanostructures, leveraging the phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonance, have emerged as transformative tools in chemical catalysis by enabling reaction pathways inaccessible to conventional approaches. This review consolidates the fundamental principles of plasmonics and highlights recent advancements in their application to sustainable chemical transformations, such as CO₂ reduction, selective oxidation, and hydrogenation. Notably, the innovative use of plasmon-induced hot carriers and field enhancement effects in overcoming reaction barriers, achieving unprecedented reaction selectivity and efficiency under mild conditions, is explored. The review underscores significant contributions, including the strategic coupling of plasmonic metals with defect-engineered supports, facilitating charge separation, and enabling selective product formation. The review introduces the potential of chiral plasmonic nanostructures for asymmetric synthesis, a frontier yet to be fully explored. Additionally, the review also explores the potential of alternative, cost-effective materials like aluminum and magnesium for use in plasmonic systems. Furthermore, key challenges in plasmonics, such as reducing energy losses and improving scalability have been discussed.