title: Collective excitation of plasmonic hot-spots for enhanced hot charge carrier transfer in metal/semiconductor contacts.
abstract: We show how a combination of near- and far-field coupling of the localised surface plasmon resonances in aluminium nanoparticles deposited on TiO2 films greatly enhances the visible light photocatalytic activity of the semiconductor material. We demonstrate two orders of magnitude enhancement in the rate of decomposition of methylene blue under visible light illumination when the surface of TiO2 films is decorated with gratings of Al nanoparticle dimers.
authors.affiliation: Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Toulouse, 135 Avenue de Rangueil, 31400, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Adrien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piot
authors.forename: Stuart K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Earl
authors.forename: Charlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dligatch
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Gómez