Critical Coupling of Visible Light Extends Hot-Electron Lifetimes for H₂O₂ Synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Devices driven by above-equilibrium "hot" electrons are appealing for photocatalytic technologies, such as in situ H₂O₂ synthesis, but currently suffer from low (<1%) overall quantum efficiencies. Gold nanostructures excited by visible light generate hot electrons that can inject into a neighboring semiconductor to drive electrochemical reactions. Here, we designed and studied a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure of Au nanoparticles on a ZnO/TiO₂/Al film stack, deposited through room-temperature, lithography-free methods. Light absorption, electron injection efficiency, and photocatalytic yield in this device are superior in comparison to the same stack without Al. Our device absorbs >60% of light at the Au localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak

SUBMITTER: Willis DE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7304819 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature