385100 Mechanisms of Enhancement By Metal Co-Catalysts and Plasmonic Nanoparticles in the Photo-Catalytic Activity of Semiconductors

Monday, November 17, 2014: 4:15 PM
306 (Hilton Atlanta)
Paul Hernley, Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI and Suljo Linic, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

In this contribution, we will shed light on the microscopic mechanisms involved in the enhancement of photo-catalytic performance of semiconductors by the joint action of metal co-catalysts and plasmonic metal nanoparticles. In particular, we will focus on the role of Pt co-catalysts and Ag plasmonic nanoparticles in the photo-catalytic activity of Si for the photo-electrochemical evolution of hydrogen.1–3 In addition to the description of our experimental findings, I will present a mathematical model that can capture all the main features of this fairly complex photo-catalytic system. I will discuss how our findings can be transferred to any co-catalyst/plasmonic-metal/semiconductor photo-catalytic system.

(1) Hou, Y.; Abrams, B.; Vesborg, P. Nat. Mater. 2011, 10, 434–438.

(2) Lombardi, I.; Marchionna, S.; Zangari, G.; Pizzini, S. Langmuir 2007, 23, 12413–12420.

(3) Ingram, D. B.; Christopher, P.; Bauer, J. L.; Linic, S. ACS Catal. 2011, 1, 1441–1447.


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