Metal-semiconductor Heterojunction Research Articles

Cu/ZnV2O4 Heterojunction Interface Promoted Methanol and Ethanol Generation from CO2 and H2O under UV-Vis Light Irradiation.

Adopting the concurrent reduction of Cu2O during hydrothermal preparation of ZnV2O4, metal–semiconductor heterojunction Cu/ZnV2O4 nanorods were synthesized and applied to the catalytic generation of methanol and ethanol from CO2 aerated water under UV–vis light irradiation. 10Cu/ZnV2O4 obtained from 10 wt % composite amount of Cu2O exhibited a total carbon yield of 6.49 μmol·g–1·h–1. The yield of CH3OH and C2H5OH reached 3.30 and 0.86 μmol·g–1·h–1, respectively. 2.5Cu/ZnV2O4 displayed the highest ethanol yield of 1.58 μmol·g–1·h–1 due to the strong absorption in the visible light. Cu/ZnV2O4 was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, transient photocurrent response, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Results showed that composite Cu0-ZnV2O4 increased the surface area and tuned the energy band position, which matches the reaction potential toward methanol and ethanol. The photocatalytic activity toward CH3OH and C2H5OH on Cu/ZnV2O4 is attributed to faster transmission and a slow recombination rate of photogenerated carriers at the heterojunction interface. Multielectron reactions for the production of CH3OH and C2H5OH are promoted. Free radical capture experiments indicated that the active species boost the reaction in the order of •OH > e– > h+.

Novel highly-active Ag/Bi dual nanoparticles-decorated BiOBr photocatalyst for efficient degradation of ibuprofen

The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of noble nanometals can be utilized to effectively improve the catalytic performance of semiconductor photocatalysts. In this work, a novel composite photocatalyst of BiOBr microspheres simultaneously decorated by Ag and Bi dual nanoparticles (NPs) has been successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method plus one-step reduction method. And the morphology, structure, chemical composition and photoelectrical properties of this composite photocatalyst (Ag/Bi–BiOBr) were further characterized. Due to the SPR effect of Ag and Bi dual NPs, Ag/Bi–BiOBr showed the high light absorption with narrow band gap, as well as fast charge separation via metal-semiconductor heterojunction so as to realize an efficient degradation of ibuprofen (IBP) under simulated solar irradiation. Through the further optimization of the loading amounts of Ag and Bi dual NPs, the excellent photocatalytic activity in the Ag/Bi–BiOBr has been achieved that 92.3% of IBP was removed within 60 min, which is among the best results reported so far for IBP degradation via photocatalysis.

Investigation of Optoelectronic Properties of Organic Semiconductor Tetracyaoquinodimethane Based Heterostructures

Recently, interfacial layer such as metal oxide, insulator and polymer have been used by scientists between the metal and semiconductor to increase the stability of the metal-semiconductor heterojunctions. These materials have been varied according to their usage aims. In this study, graphene nanoribbons (GNR) and 7,7,8,8 Tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ, C12H4N4) layer has been used as interfacial layer between the metal and semiconductor for photodiode applications. The TCNQ layer collects and extracts more electrons in the interface of the device and is used as electron acceptor material for organic solar cells. Herein, we fabricated Al/p-Si/Al, Al/p-Si/TCNQ/Al and Al/p-Si/TCNQ:GNR/Al heterojunctions by physical vapor deposition technique. I-V measurements has been employed under dark and various light illumination conditions to show dielectric properties of the fabricated heterojunctions. From current-voltage characteristics, we calculated the electronic parameters such as ideality factor, barrier heights, series resistances and rise times. It can be concluded from overall results that TCNQ and TCNQ:GNR layers had a major impact on quality and can be considered as quite proper materials for optoelectronic applications.

Mott-Schottky heterojunction of Co/Co2P with built-in electric fields for bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis and zinc-air battery

In this contribution, a high-performance bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of Co/Co2P nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon nanotubes (NPCNTs) has been synthesized via a mechanochemistry-pyrolysis approach. The Schottky effect of metal-semiconductor heterojunction affords a built-in electric field at the interfaces to enhance electron transport, whereas the intertwined structure of one-dimensional (1D) NPCNTs facilitates the mass transfer of reactants and intermediates. Therefore, the as-prepared Co/Co2P@NPCNTs catalyst exhibits outstanding bifunctional ORR/OER activities, which are superior to those of commercial Pt/C and RuO2. It can also deliver a high power density and cycling life when used as the cathode for rechargeable ZABs. Theoretical calculation confirms that the spontaneous electron transport from Co to Co2P enables an up-shifted d-band center of Co/Co2P heterojunctions, which is beneficial for the intermediate adsorption in electrocatalytic process.

Green rapid synthesis of Cu2O/Ag heterojunctions exerting synergistic antibiosis

Semiconductor-noble metal composite has become a research focus due to its superior performance compared with its respective component. Although various methods have been developed to synthesize semiconductor-noble metal heterostructures, most of them are relatively complex multistep and use toxic reactants of high cost and risk. In this work, a series of Cu2O/Ag heterojunctions were quickly prepared in one step via simple microwave-assisted green route. XRD, SEM, TEM, EDS, XPS, etc. were used to characterize obtained products, and the results indicate a Cu2O/Ag metal-semiconductor heterojunction in micro-nano size was fabricated successfully. In addition, antibacterial behavior of Cu2O/Ag heterojunctions against E. coli and S. aureus were investigated. Owing to the synergistic effect of Cu2O and Ag, the heterojunction exhibits much better antibacterial performance than the pristine Cu2O does. This work provides new insights into the green design and fabrication of surface-modified Cu2O hybrid multifunctional materials for antibacterial applications.

Self-Assembled Borophene/Graphene Nanoribbon Mixed-Dimensional Heterostructures.

Atomically thin metal-semiconductor heterojunctions are highly desirable for nanoelectronic applications. However, coherent lateral stitching of distinct two-dimensional (2D) materials has traditionally required interfacial lattice matching and compatible growth conditions, which remains challenging for most systems. On the other hand, these constraints are relaxed in 2D/1D mixed-dimensional lateral heterostructures due to the increased structural degree of freedom. Here, we report the self-assembly of mixed-dimensional lateral heterostructures consisting of 2D metallic borophene and 1D semiconducting armchair-oriented graphene nanoribbons (aGNRs). With the sequential ultrahigh vacuum deposition of boron and 4,4″-dibromo-p-terphenyl as precursors on Ag(111) substrates, an on-surface polymerization process is systematically studied and refined including the transition from monomers to organometallic intermediates and finally demetallization that results in borophene/aGNR lateral heterostructures. High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy resolve the structurally and electronically abrupt interfaces in borophene/aGNR heterojunctions, thus providing insight that will inform ongoing efforts in pursuit of atomically precise nanoelectronics.

Fe-Ion-Catalyzed Synthesis of CdSe/Cu Core/Shell Nanowires.

CdSe/Cu core/shell nanowires (NWs) are successfully synthesized by a wet chemical method for the first time. By utilizing the solution-liquid-solid (SLS) mechanism, CdSe NWs are fabricated by Bi seeds, which act as catalysts. In the subsequent radial overcoating of the Cu shell on the CdSe NWs, Fe ions have been proven to be an indispensable and efficient catalyzer. The thickness of the Cu shell could be well controlled in the range of 3 to 6 nm by varying the growth temperature (from 300 to 360 °C). Our synthetic strategy pioneers a new possibility for the controlled synthesis of semiconductor-metal heterostructure NWs (especially for II-VI semiconductors), such as CdS/Cu, ZnS/Au, and ZnO/Ag, which had broad application prospects in photoconductors, thin-film transistors, and light-emitting diodes. Theoretically, electrons flow from a higher Fermi-level material to the bottom Fermi-level at the metal-semiconductor heterojunction interface, which aligns the Fermi level and establishes the Schottky barrier. It leads to excess negative charges in metals and excess positive charges in semiconductors. Therefore, those effective electron traps reduce the probability of photogenerated electron-hole pair recombination efficiently, which has been widely applied in solar cells, sensors, photocatalysis, and energy storage. The breakthrough and innovation of this synthesis method have opened up a new synthetic route with a mild reaction environment, low energy consumption, and convenience.

A reliable and accurate model of photoelectron yield spectrum and its applications

Experimental and theoretical research on photoelectron yield spectrum play a crucial role in electronic and photo-electronic materials and devices, and the reliable and precise estimation of photoelectron yield via photon energy is very important for detecting microscopic electrical information in photo-electronic materials and devices. Photoelectron yield is defined as the number of electrons emitted by per incident photon. Before this work, the technique was based on the interception of a plot of square root of photoelectron yield versus photon energy for metal-insulator hetero-junction, and that of a plot of cube root of photoelectron yield variation with photon energy for insulator-semiconductor hetero-junction. But, how to intercept the relationship between photoelectron yield and photon energy for semiconductor-semiconductor and metal-semiconductor hetero-junctions has not been known. Besides, many experimental plots of square root and cube root of photoelectron yield against photon energy are available, but none of them is a straight line. In order to obtain a more accurate and reliable barrier height, electrical structure of the junction, the energy level distribution of the energy band offset, defect density in the junction, and the valence band profile through the photoelectric yield spectrum, a reliable and accurate model of photoelectron yield spectrum is established via combining the solution to a differential equation and experimental results. A method is proposed to naturally determine the junction barrier height by using the experimental results of the internal current yield varying with the photon energy. The this method can be used to calculate the junction barrier height as accurately and reliably as possible, and the density and energy level distributions of the effective occupancy states of the electrons in the four junctions are obtained by using this photoelectric yield spectrum model, In addition, based on this model, this paper proves mathematically that the density and energy level distribution of the effective occupancy state of electrons present a peak shape. Therefore, the application prospects of this photoelectric yield spectrum model are demonstrated.

Relationship between the hydroxyl termination and band bending at (2¯01)β−Ga2O3 surfaces

Synchrotron x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to explore the relationship between the hydroxyl termination and band bending at the $(\overline{2}01)$ surface of $\ensuremath{\beta}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ bulk single crystals. All as-received $(\overline{2}01)$ surfaces were terminated with OH groups, with H/OH binding to surface ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{s}}/\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{s}}$ atoms. Removal of this native OH termination produced a large upward shift in band bending of up to 1.0 eV, consistent with strong electron depletion and a semiconductor to insulator-like transition in the near-surface region. Simple surface treatments were used to control the size and stability of the band bending of as-received $(\overline{2}01)$ surfaces by modifying the nature of the OH termination. NaOH (${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$) treatment consistently produced upward (downward) shifts in band bending and a significant increase (decrease) in the thermal stability of the OH termination that was associated with an increase in the relative density of $\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{\mathrm{s}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{OH}$ (${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{s}}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{H}$) species. Annealing in wet ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ (at 600 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C) produced an extremely stable OH termination and the strongest downward shift in band bending. These effects, combined with the relatively slow dissociation of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ on bare $(\overline{2}01)$ surfaces, allowed the preparation of surfaces with significant variations in band bending that may prove useful in optimizing the properties of $\ensuremath{\beta}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ metal-semiconductor contacts and heterojunctions. A comparison of two methods used to determine the absolute band bending at semiconductor surfaces confirmed that bare $\ensuremath{\beta}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{G}{\mathrm{a}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}(\overline{2}01)$ surfaces are characterized by strong upward band bending (\ensuremath{\sim}0.5 to 1.0 eV) and an electron depletion layer that can be completely removed by the hydroxylation of the surface.

Plasmon-Driven Hot Electron Transfer at Atomically Sharp Metal-Semiconductor Nanojunctions.

Recent advances in guiding and localizing light at the nanoscale exposed the enormous potential of ultrascaled plasmonic devices. In this context, the decay of surface plasmons to hot carriers triggers a variety of applications in boosting the efficiency of energy-harvesting, photocatalysis, and photodetection. However, a detailed understanding of plasmonic hot carrier generation and, particularly, the transfer at metal–semiconductor interfaces is still elusive. In this paper, we introduce a monolithic metal–semiconductor (Al–Ge) heterostructure device, providing a platform to examine surface plasmon decay and hot electron transfer at an atomically sharp Schottky nanojunction. The gated metal–semiconductor heterojunction device features electrostatic control of the Schottky barrier height at the Al–Ge interface, enabling hot electron filtering. The ability of momentum matching and to control the energy distribution of plasmon-driven hot electron injection is demonstrated by controlling the interband electron transfer in Ge, leading to negative differential resistance.

Self-sustainable and recyclable Ag nanorods for developing Ag-Ag2S nano heterostructures using sewage gas: Applications in photocatalytic water purification, hydrogen evolution, SERS and antibacterial activity

Multifunctionality and recyclability of Ag nanorods array (well known tas potential SERS substrates) have been explored for other imperative applications like water purification by photocatalytic dye degradation, hydrogen evolution, antibacterial activity, and SERS based detection after sulfurization. An easy and green approach of exposing the Ag nanorods array to sewage H2S gas has been applied for sulfurization. This resulted in multifunctional Ag-Ag2S nanoheterostructures manifesting a metal-semiconductor heterojunction with exceptional optical, electronic and photocatalytic properties. The Ag nanorods array on glass as well as ITO substrates were fabricated by glancing angle deposition technique and then sulfurized by exposing to a sewage site, resulting in Ag-Ag2S nanoheterostructures at ambient conditions and confirmed by several morphological, structural and elemental characterization tools. The fabricated nanoheterostructures are utilized efficiently for important applications including dye degradation under visible light irradiation within 30 min, photoelectrochemical reaction for hydrogen evolution, surface enhanced Raman scattering based detection and significant bactericidal effect. The salient features of synthesized Ag-Ag2S nano-heterostructures comprise an important self-sustainable approach which is pivotal in the present research scenario that requires significant multidimensional applications.

Insights into the Effect of Reactive Oxygen Species Regulation on Photocatalytic Performance via Construction of a Metal-Semiconductor Heterojunction.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), as primary intermediates formed during photocatalytic reactions, are critical for a photocatalyst to realize high activity. The major objective of this study was to investigate the regulation of ROS involved in the photocatalytic degradation process via constructing a typical metal-semiconductor hybrid heterojunction using Ag nanoparticles/anatase TiO₂ as an example. Based on radical capturing, electron paramagnetic resonance, and electron spin resonance experiments, an increase in the available ROS can be achieved in the Ag/TiO₂ heterojunction due to the fast separation of photogenerated carriers. In addition, due to the change in the electron transfer pathway, superoxide radicals (·O-₂) are the dominant reactive species responsible for dye degradation using Ag/TiO₂ rather than hydroxyl radicals (·OH) as the main free radicals in pristine TiO₂. This study offers fresh insight into the regulation of ROS in photodegradation via the construction of a Ag/TiO₂ heterojunction.

Low-temperature growth of Three dimensional ReS2/ReO2 metal-semiconductor heterojunctions on Graphene/polyimide film for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction

Flexible inorganic electronics (FIE) have shown unique advantages in energy conversion, aerospace and wearable devices due to excellent electronic properties and thermostability of inorganic materials. The industrialization of high-performance flexible inorganic electronics (FIE) devices requires universal approaches to fabricate inorganic crystal on polymer substrates at acceptable temperature. Herein, we firstly developed the vortex flow chemical vapor deposition (VFCVD) for low temperature synthesis of high-quality vertical ReO2 arrays at 450 °C on flexible graphene-polyimide (G-PI) conductive film. The Euler equations suggest that the vapor pressure of ReO2 is almost 100-times higher than that of free space with VFCVD at identical conditions. The derived ReS2/ReO2 metal-semiconductor heterojunction arrays are performed outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with high long-term stability as an energy conversion device. This work opens up an opportunity for low temperature growth of inorganic nanomaterials on polymer substrates by VFCVD for the industrialization of high-performance flexible energy devices.

3D porous flower-like ZnO microstructures loaded by large-size Ag and their ultrahigh sensitivity to ethanol

3D porous flower-like ZnO microstructures loaded by large-size Ag were successfully synthesized via a simple two-stage method. XRD and XPS results proved that the synthesized Ag/ZnO was a pure phase. SEM and TEM results showed that the Ag nanoparticles with large size (about 400 nm) were successfully loaded on the porous flower-like ZnO. The sensitivity of Ag/ZnO was 268 to 200 ppm ethanol at 300 °C, which was 6 times higher than that of pure ZnO. In addition, the sensor of Ag/ZnO exhibited a faster response/recovery behavior and a lower detection limit. The enhanced gas sensing performance of Ag/ZnO has been explained from three aspects: the “spillover effect” of Ag, the formation of metal-semiconductor heterojunction and the role of “electronic sensitization”.

A photoelectrochemical sensor for highly sensitive detection of glucose based on Au–NiO1–x hybrid nanowires

In this research, the Au–NiO1–x (0<x<1) hybrid nanowire arrays were constructed by a simple electrodeposition method to develop a novel plasmon-aided photoelectrochemical glucose sensor. The hybrid nanostructure has NiO1–x nanowires as the main matrix. Au nanoparticles with diameter of about 20 nm are incorporated into the NiO1–x. The unique structure and the generated plasmons on the Au surface improve the electron transfer in the nanowire arrays, providing excellent mass transport for the glucose oxidization. This glucose sensor exhibits an ultrahigh sensitivity of 4.061 mA cm–2 mM–1, low detection limit and a wide level of glucose concentration in the detection range of 0.005–15 mM. Our investigation indicates that the synergistic catalytic of Au and NiO1–x as well as the plasmonic effect of Au nanoparticles are responsible for this outstanding performance. Such results offer an effective method to guide the exploration of metal-semiconductor heterojunctions for surface plasmon-aided photoelectrocatalysis.

Plasmonic Bi microspheres doped carbon nitride heterojunction: Intensive photoelectrochemical aptasensor for bisphenol A

Considering severe threat of bisphenol A (BPA) to environment and human health, it is urgent to develop a convenient and specific method for accurately detecting BPA. An efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) aptasensor for determining BPA in water is constructed using Bi microspheres/carbon nitride (Bi/CN) heterojunction as a PEC material. The promoting effect of Bi on the enhanced PEC performance of Bi/CN heterojunction is initiated by two unique effects: the construction of heterojunction (heterojunction effect) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. For heterojunction effect, a metal-semiconductor heterojunction of Bi/CN is constructed, which increases the light absorption of CN, generates more electron-hole pairs and accelerates the separation of carriers. Simultaneously, as a plasmonic metal, Bi microspheres accelerate charge transfer generated from the heterojunction. This function of Bi is of high benefit to suppress the electron-hole recombination, leading to an enhanced PEC performance. Benefiting from enhanced PEC performance of the heterojunction, a sensitive PEC aptasensor for detecting BPA is realized. This work demonstrates that the Bi/CN heterojunction amplified photoelectric conversion strategy can be used as an efficient method for Bi-based materials to significantly enhance the PEC performance and also provides more opportunities for application of Bi-based materials in PEC field.

Quasi One-Dimensional Metal-Semiconductor Heterostructures.

The band offsets occurring at the abrupt heterointerfaces of suitable material combinations offer a powerful design tool for high performance or even new kinds of devices. Because of a large variety of applications for metal-semiconductor heterostructures and the promise of low-dimensional systems to present exceptional device characteristics, nanowire heterostructures gained particular interest over the past decade. However, compared to those achieved by mature two-dimensional processing techniques, quasi one-dimensional (1D) heterostructures often suffer from low interface and crystalline quality. For the GaAs-Au system, we demonstrate exemplarily a new approach to generate epitaxial and single crystalline metal-semiconductor nanowire heterostructures with atomically sharp interfaces using standard semiconductor processing techniques. Spatially resolved Raman measurements exclude any significant strain at the lattice mismatched metal-semiconductor heterojunction. On the basis of experimental results and simulation work, a novel self-assembled mechanism is demonstrated which yields one-step reconfiguration of a semiconductor-metal core-shell nanowire to a quasi 1D axially stacked heterostructure via flash lamp annealing. Transmission electron microscopy imaging and electrical characterization confirm the high interface quality resulting in the lowest Schottky barrier for the GaAs-Au system reported to date. Without limiting the generality, this novel approach will open up new opportunities in the syntheses of other metal-semiconductor nanowire heterostructures and thus facilitate the research of high-quality interfaces in metal-semiconductor nanocontacts.

Synthesis of Ag-ZnO core-shell nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity through atomic layer deposition

Herein, Ag-ZnO core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) with enhanced photocatalytic activity were prepared by coating Ag metal cores with ZnO semiconductor shells through atomic layer deposition (ALD). Instrumental analysis revealed that the ultra-thin and conformal nature of the shell allowed the core-shell NPs to simultaneously exploit the photocatalytic properties of ZnO and the plasmonic properties of Ag. In a rhodamine B photodegradation test performed under artificial sunlight, Ag-ZnO core-shell NPs exhibited better photocatalytic performance than other prepared photocatalysts, namely ZnO NPs and ALD-ZnO coated ZnO NPs. The performance enhancement was ascribed to the effect of noble metal-semiconductor heterojunctions, which increased the efficiency of electron-hole separation, i.e., the Ag core effectively captured excited electrons at the ZnO surface, which resulted in the elevated production of hydroxyl radicals from holes remaining at ZnO. A three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulation of the Ag-ZnO NPs with variable shell thickness showed that ZnO shells on Ag metal cores increase the intensity of light around NPs, allowing the plasmonic cores to fully utilize incident light.

Facile synthesis of porous cubic microstructure of Co3O4 from ZIF-67 pyrolysis and its Au doped structure for enhanced acetone gas-sensing

Recently, Metal-organic framework (MOF) has attracted general attention as self-sacrificial template to produce metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) for gas sensing. In this work, we fabricated a porous cubic microstructure of Co3O4 through the facile pyrolysis of ZIF-67. The obtained Co3O4 sustained a similar cubic morphology with ZIF-67 template, but much improved pore structure was achieved. Moreover, we attempted to modify the Co3O4 with Au nanoparticles. Through a facile post-synthesis adsorption & pyrolysis, the Au nanoparticles with an average size of 15–20 nm were evenly dispersed on the surface of Co3O4. Then the obtained samples were investigated for acetone gas-sensing. Results showed that both Co3O4 and its Au doped structure could be used for acetone detection, while due to the existence of metal-semiconductor heterojunction and the catalysis and spillover functions of Au nanoparticles, the prepared Au/Co3O4 composite showed much improved acetone response and much shortened response-recovery time than that of the bare Co3O4 structure.

Plasmonic Nickel–TiO2 Heterostructures for Visible‐Light‐Driven Photochemical Reactions

AbstractPlasmon‐mediated carrier transfer (PMCT) at metal–semiconductor heterojunctions has been extensively exploited to drive photochemical reactions, offering intriguing opportunities for solar photocatalysis. However, to date, most studies have been conducted using noble metals. Inexpensive materials capable of generating and transferring hot carriers for photocatalysis via PMCT have been rarely explored. Here, we demonstrate that the plasmon excitation of nickel induces the transfer of both hot electrons and holes from Ni to TiO2 in a rationally designed Ni–TiO2 heterostructure. Furthermore, it is discovered that the transferred hot electrons either occupy oxygen vacancies (VO) or produce Ti3+ on TiO2, while the transferred hot holes are located on surface oxygens at TiO2. Moreover, the transferred hot electrons are identified to play a primary role in driving the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Taken together, our results validate Ni as a promising low‐cost plasmonic material for prompting visible‐light photochemical reactions.