We recently reported direct photo-chemistry and steady state photo-catalysis on plasmonic metallic nanostructures, optically excited by low intensity visible light (Nature Materials,  10, 911, 2011; Nature Chemistry,  3, 467, 2011).  (Nature Materials,  11, 1044, 2012). We showed that these reaction on plasmonic metals were driven by hot electrons, exhibiting fundamentally different behavior that electron-driven reactions on semiconductors and thermal, phonon-driven reactions on metals. These findings open new avenues to the design of novel systems in the field of chemical conversion on solid surfaces. I we will discuss the experimental observables associated with these photo-chemical reactions, and a molecular model, based on first-principles analysis of these reactions, that can explain these observables [1]  Plasmonic-metal nanostructures for efficient conversion of solar to chemical energy, Nature Materials, 10, 911, 2011.[2] Visible light enhanced catalytic oxidation reactions on plasmonic silver nanostructures, Nature Chemistry, 3, 467, 2011.[3] Singular Characteristics and Unique Chemical Bond Activation Mechanisms of Photocatalytic Reactions on Plasmonic Nanostructures, Nature Materials, 2012.

Chemical transformations with optically excited plasmonic nanoparticles from first principles

246th National Meeting (2013)

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