Composite nanomaterials of semiconductors and noble metals as plasmonic photocatalysts

Harnessing sunlight and storing the energy in chemical bonds is an important element in the transition towards green and sustainable technologies. Solar fuel production requires photocatalysts that (1) absorb large parts of the solar spectrum, (2) generate charges with significant lifetimes and appropriate energies, (3) catalyze relevant chemical transformations from abundant, low -
energy starting materials, and (4) are stable under operating conditions. A new avenue within solar fuels involve plasmonic metal nanoparticles (PNPs). These materials have tunable optical properties, exciting catalytic behavior, and can be more stable under operating conditions. Composite photocatalysts of semiconductor nanoparticles (SNPs) and PNPs exploit broadly the solar spectrum, provide new catalytic routes and expand the scope of solar photocatalysis. The newly initiated project aims at developing composite nanomaterials of SNPs and PNPs from mild, aqueous synthesis protocols and testing the catalytic properties of these plasmonic photocatalysts.