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Augmenting Ultrafast Hot Electron Injection from Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance via an AlGaN/GaN Interlayer for
Yi Liu1, Yan Liu1, Entao Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
ACS Nano
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Researchers enhanced photocatalysis by improving hot electron injection from gold nanorods (AuNRs) to semiconductors using an AlGaN/GaN interlayer. This strategy minimizes energy loss, boosting catalytic efficiency and photocurrent.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photocatalysis
- Plasmonics
Background:
- Metal-semiconductor architectures utilize localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) for hot electron generation, crucial for photocatalysis.
- Minimizing energy losses during hot electron injection is key to enhancing catalytic efficiency but remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce an AlGaN/GaN interlayer to enhance hot electron injection efficiency from gold nanorods (AuNRs).
- To investigate strategies for minimizing energy losses in plasmon-enhanced photocatalysis.
Main Methods:
- Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to capture ultrafast injection dynamics.
- Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations and photoelectrochemical measurements to quantify injection enhancement.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to assess lattice matching for electron transfer.
Main Results:
- Achieved an apparent band pass efficiency (ABPE) of 3.45% with a low onset potential of 0.236 VRHE.
- Demonstrated an approximately 300% increase in photocurrent density after AlGaN/GaN interlayer insertion.
- DFT calculations revealed a 99.22% lattice match between GaN-Al and Ta3N5, supporting efficient electron transfer.
Conclusions:
- The AlGaN/GaN interlayer significantly enhances hot electron injection efficiency in LSPR-mediated systems.
- This approach offers critical insights for optimizing plasmonic applications in catalysis.
- The findings pave the way for innovative applications of plasmonics in photocatalysis.
