Hou, Wenbo Hung, Wei Hsuan Pavaskar, Prathamesh Goeppert, Alain Aykol, Mehmet Cronin, Stephen B. Photocatalytic Conversion of CO<sub>2</sub> to Hydrocarbon Fuels via Plasmon-Enhanced Absorption and Metallic Interband Transitions A systematic study of the mechanisms of Au nanoparticle/TiO<sub>2</sub>-catalyzed photoreduction of CO<sub>2</sub> and water vapor is carried out over a wide range of wavelengths. When the photon energy matches the plasmon resonance of the Au nanoparticles (free carrier absorption), which is in the visible range (532 nm), we observe a 24-fold enhancement in the photocatalytic activity because of the intense local electromagnetic fields created by the surface plasmons of the Au nanoparticles. These intense electromagnetic fields enhance sub-bandgap absorption in the TiO<sub>2</sub>, thereby enhancing the photocatalytic activity in the visible range. When the photon energy is high enough to excite d band electronic transitions in the Au, in the UV range (254 nm), a different mechanism occurs resulting in the production of additional reaction products, including C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>, CH<sub>3</sub>OH, and HCHO. This occurs because the energy of the d band excited electrons lies above the redox potentials of the additional reaction products CO<sub>2</sub>/C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub>, CO<sub>2</sub>/CH<sub>3</sub>OH, and CO<sub>2</sub>/HCHO. We model the plasmon excitation at the Au nanoparticle-TiO<sub>2</sub> interface using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations, which provides a rigorous analysis of the electric fields and charge at the Au nanoparticle-TiO<sub>2</sub> interface. nanoparticle;absorption;Metallic Interband TransitionsA;HCHO;interface;CO 2;UV;FDTD;C 2H CH 3OH;difference time domain;electromagnetic fields;nm;mechanism;photon energy;photocatalytic activity;plasmon 2011-08-05
    https://acs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Photocatalytic_Conversion_of_CO_sub_2_sub_to_Hydrocarbon_Fuels_via_Plasmon_Enhanced_Absorption_and_Metallic_Interband_Transitions/2625224
10.1021/cs2001434.s001