Mechanistic Understanding of the Plasmonic Enhancement for Solar Water Splitting.
H2 generation by solar water splitting is one of the most promising solutions to meet the increasing energy demands of the fast developing society. However, the efficiency of solar-water-splitting systems is still too low for practical applications, which requires further enhancement via different strategies such as doping, construction of heterojunctions, morphology control, and optimization of the crystal structure. Recently, integration of plasmonic metals to semiconductor photocatalysts has been proved to be an effective way to improve their photocatalytic activities. Thus, in-depth understanding of the enhancement mechanisms is of great importance for better utilization of the plasmonic effect. This review describes the relevant mechanisms from three aspects, including: i) light absorption and scattering; ii) hot-electron injection and iii) plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer (PIRET). Perspectives are also proposed to trigger further innovative thinking on plasmonic-enhanced solar water splitting.
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, 300072, China.
Peng
P
Zhang
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, 300072, China.
Tuo
T
Wang
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tianjin, 300072, China.
Jinlong
J
Gong
D002384:Catalysis; D004583:Electrons; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012993:Solar Energy; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D014867:Water; D006859:Hydrogen
photocatalysis; plasmonics; water splitting