The past two decades have seen a drastic increase in research efforts to develop renewable sources of energy in response to the worldwide energy crisis. Due to their large optical cross sections and their ability to concentrate electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale, plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted significant attention as visible light nanoantennas, able to harvest solar energy and convert it to chemical energy. Excitation at a plasmonic NP’s resonant frequency leads to the collective oscillation of their conduction band electrons, a phenomenon known as the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). As this surface plasmon decays, energetic charge carriers are generated that can be used to drive chemical transformations, making plasmonic NPs viable candidates for photocatalytic applications. The LSPR wavelength of plasmonic metal NPs (Au, Ag, and Cu) is determined by their size, shape, and crystallinity. In particular, anisotropic Au NPs (such as nanobipyramids and nanorods) exhibit a longitudinal dipole plasmon wavelength tunable from the visible to the near-IR region depending on their aspect ratio (AR). Thus far, relatively little research has been dedicated to exploring the LSPR wavelength as a factor in determining the performance of photocatalysts. Here, two series of Au nanobipyramids (NBPs) and Au nanorods (NRs) were prepared with LSPR wavelengths extending across the vis-NIR spectrum. A second metal (Pd, Pt, or Ag) was then deposited to act as the catalytic component to generate several sets of bimetallic photocatalysts. The ideal catalytic metal was chosen depending on which catalytic reaction was being tested.

LSPR wavelength as a tool for controlling performance of plasmonic catalysts

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