Photocatalysis for storing solar energy in chemical bonds needs efficient light absorbers to interact with incident light photons and excite energetic hot electrons to drive chemical reactions. Quantized Rh nanoparticles (NPs) with sizes of ~ 2 nm are supported by 400 nm silica nanospheres, greatly enhancing visible light absorption of Rh NPs by 5 times due to scattering resonances of the dielectric substrates with high geometrical symmetry. Enhanced light absorption in Rh NPs efficiently excites hot electrons that populate anti-bonding orbitals of adsorbed molecules, oxygen and nitrobenzene, and provide a channel to selectively activate adsorbates compared to ground state electrons. Reaction kinetics are accelerated linearly at low light powers and super-linearly at high light powers, along with reduced activation energy. This study highlights hot electrons on non-plasmonic metals for visible-light-driven reactions.

Photoexcited Rh nanoparticles supported by dielectric antenna for chemical transformations

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.