Hot Electron Harvesting via Photoelectric Ejection and Photothermal Heat Relaxation in Hotspots-Enriched Plasmonic/Photonic Disordered Nanocomposites

Abstract

The ability of plasmonic nanostructures to harvest photons beyond the traditional band-to-band photovoltaic conversion of semiconductors has stimulated intensive research activities in hot electron. As an emerging strategy for energy-harvesting, photodetection and photocatalysis, realization of broadband and efficient plasmonic absorption with easily constructed metal-semconductor (M-S) nanosystems is essential for improving its photoelectric efficiency, while minimizing the cost and complexity of fabrication. Here, we report an approach for near-infrared (NIR) photodetection by combining the randomly and densely packed photonic nanostructures with ultrathin plasmonic coatings. Relying on the Au covered disordered silicon nanoholes (SiNHs) M-S platform, the efficient plasmonic absorption, strong field localization and together with random nature facilitate the broadband photon-energy conversion from both photoelectric hot electron ejection and photothermal hot electron relaxation. Spectral- and time-resol...