Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
Multifunctional Hybrid Fe2O3-Au Nanoparticles for Efficient Plasmonic Heating
Published on: February 20, 2016
Plasmon-induced resonant energy transfer and flat band formation in Fe and Co doped Ni(II) hydroxide for efficient
Benjamin W Kaufold1, Parisa Nematollahi2, Bernardo Barbiellini3,4
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. s.dong@northeastern.edu.
Abstract:
Enhancing photocatalytic oxygen evolution is vital for renewable energy. In this work, we demonstrate how plasmon-induced resonant energy transfer (PIRET) from gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to Fe- and Co-doped nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) can improve this process. PIRET involves the transfer of energy from excited AuNPs to nearby molecules, boosting their reactivity. We show that doping Ni(OH)2 with Fe or Fe/Co results in a significant enhancement in photocatalytic activity, achieving a 72% increase in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance compared to pristine Ni(OH)2 layered double hydroxide (LDH). In addition, a reduced optical band gap from 2.8 eV (pristine Ni(OH)2 LDH) to 2.3 eV and the formation of flat bands was observed, enabling efficient energy transfer upon plasmonic nanoparticle integration and enhancing electronic properties. This supports that the PIRET mechanism is responsible for the increased OER performance. This study demonstrates the crucial role of PIRET in enhancing plasmonic energy transfer and the synergistic effects of doping and AuNP coupling. These findings highlight the broader potential of material engineering in advancing efficient and sustainable energy technologies.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Covalent Bonds
02:46Covalent Bonding and Lewis Structures
02:50Catalysis
03:02Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
02:24Polar Covalent Bonds
01:08Covalent Bonds
When two atoms share electrons to complete their valence shells, they create a covalent bond. An atom's electronegativity—the force with which shared electrons are pulled towards an atom—determines how the electrons are shared. Molecules formed with covalent bonds can be either polar or nonpolar. Atoms with similar electronegativities form nonpolar covalent bonds; the electrons are shared equally. Atoms with different electronegativities share electrons unequally,...