Hybrid plasmonic nanostructures are built on plasmonic metalnanostructures surrounded by catalytic metals or metal oxides. Recent studies have shown that hybrid plasmonic nanocatalysts can concurrently utilize thermal energy and photon stimuli and exhibit high catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability that are not attainable in conventional purely thermally activated catalytic processes. The hybrid plasmonic photocatalytic approach has recently emerged as an attractive concept for the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy, the distributed synthesis of valuable chemicals such as ammonia with little to no requirement of external heating, and the development of coke‐resistant and selective catalytic processes. The field of hybrid plasmonic photocatalysis has grown tremendously in the last decade. In this review article, the advantages of visible‐light‐augmented hybrid plasmonic photocatalysis over conventional pure thermally activated heterogeneous catalysis are discussed. Fundamental insights are provided into photocatalytic mechanisms by which the photoexcited charge carriers (electrons and holes) are formed and transferred to adsorbates triggering chemical transformations on the surface of hybrid plasmonic nanocatalysts. Computational modeling used for predicting and understanding the photocatalytic activity and selectivity on hybrid plasmonic nanostructures is also reviewed. The review closes with a discussion of the current challenges, new opportunities, and future outlook for hybrid plasmonic photocatalysis.
Visible‐light photocatalysis has advanced as a versatile tool in organic synthesis. However, attaining precise stereocontrol in photocatalytic reactions has been a longstanding challenge due to undesired photochemical background reactions and the involvement of highly reactive radicals or radical ion intermediates generated under photocatalytic conditions. To address this problem and expand the synthetic utility of photocatalytic reactions, a number of innovative strategies, including mono‐ and dual‐catalytic approaches, have recently emerged. Of these, exploiting chiral organocatalysis, such as enamine catalysis, iminium‐ion catalysis, Brønsted acid/base catalysis, and
- Award ID(s):
- 1848463
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10303411
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- ChemCatChem
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1867-3880
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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