Photocatalytic Activity Enhanced by Plasmonic Resonant Energy Transfer from Metal to Semiconductor

Plasmonic metal nanostructures have been incorporated into semiconductors to enhance the solar-light harvesting and the energy-conversion efficiency. So far the mechanism of energy transfer from the plasmonic metal to semiconductors remains unclear. Herein the underlying plasmonic energy-transfer mechanism is unambiguously determined in Au@SiO2@Cu2O sandwich nanostructures by transient-absorption and photocatalysis action spectrum measurement....