Achieving maximum overall light enhancement in plasmonic catalysis by combining thermal and non-thermal effects

Plasmonic photocatalysis presents a promising method for light-to-matter conversion. However, most current studies focus on understanding the relative importance of thermal and non-thermal effects while their synergistic effects remained less studied. Here we propose an index, termed overall light effectiveness, to capture the combined impact of these light effects on reactions. By systematic variation of the thickness of catalyst layers, we isolated both thermal and non-thermal contributions and optimized them to achieve maximum light enhancement. We demonstrate the approach using a carbon dioxide hydrogenation reaction on titania-supported rhodium nanoparticles as a model reaction system. It shows a generalizable potential in the design of catalyst systems with optimum combinations of heating and light illumination, especially with broadband light illumination such as sunlight, for achieving the most economical light-to-matter conversion in plasmonic catalysis. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

Duke Scholars

Author Jie Liu Chemistry

Author Dora Geng