Abstract
The utilisation of sunlight as an abundant and renewable resource has motivated the development of sustainable photocatalysts that can collectively harvest visible light. However, the bottleneck in utilising the low energy photons has led to the discovery of plasmonic photocatalysts. The presence of noble metal on the plasmonic photocatalyst enables the harvesting of visible light through the unique characteristic features of the noble metal nanomaterials. Moreover, the formation of interfaces between noble metal particles and semiconductor materials further results in the formation of a Schottky junction. Thereby, the plasmonic characteristics have opened up a new direction in promoting an alternative path that can be of value to the society through sustainable development derived through energy available for all for diverse applications. We have comprehensively prepared this review to specifically focus on fundamental insights into plasmonic photocatalysts, various synthesis routes, together with their strengths and weaknesses, and the interaction of the plasmonic photocatalyst with pollutants as well as the role of active radical generation and identification. The review ends with a pinnacle insight into future perspectives regarding realistic applications of plasmonic photocatalysts.
Highlights
Photocatalysts have played and will continue to play a pivotal role in environmental and energy applications in order to fulfil the needs of the current and future generation
The presence of noble metal on the plasmonic photocatalyst enables the harvesting of visible light through the unique characteristic features of the noble metal nanomaterials
Thereby, the plasmonic characteristics have opened up a new direction in promoting an alternative path that can be of value to the society through sustainable development derived through energy available for all for diverse applications
Summary
Photocatalysts have played and will continue to play a pivotal role in environmental and energy applications in order to fulfil the needs of the current and future generation. The resonance appears when the photons interact with the metal nanoparticle surface conduction electrons [3] This phenomenon enables these photocatalysts to concentrate the light energy surrounding it and leads to a strong improvement and activation of electron movement within the metal (i.e, noble metals) and semiconductor material [4]. The unique characteristics of the LSPR effect in noble metal allow the enhanced absorption of photon energy from the visible light spectrum. In order to show enhanced plasmonic photocatalysis performance, the understanding of the material system plays a vital role This includes the type of noble metal and semiconductor photocatalyst together with their morphology, porosity, crystallinity, contact form, etc. UV light (100 W UV lamp) solar stimulator (50 mW cm−2, 300 W Xe lamp) solar simulator sunlight
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