Issue 7, 2017

Visualizing the bidirectional electron transfer in a Schottky junction consisting of single CdS nanoparticles and a planar gold film

Abstract

Bidirectional electron transfer crossing the metal/semiconductor interface regulates the light absorption and carrier separation efficiency of plasmonic-semiconductor hybrid nanomaterials. Existing studies have been largely focused on a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect contributed by an ensemble of metal nanomaterials. Herein, we constructed a Schottky junction that consisted of single CdS nanoparticles and a planar gold film, and investigated hot electrons excited by the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagating in the gold film. When illuminating the interface with blue light, photoinduced electrons were found to inject from the CdS nanoparticle to the gold film. In a reverse process, SPPs were generated on shining a red beam into the gold film via a Kretschmann configuration, resulting in the injection of hot electrons into CdS nanoparticles. A recently developed plasmonic microscopy method was employed to monitor the entire process, providing the ability to image a single nanoparticle to visualize the bidirectional electron transfer dynamics in a Schottky junction involving propagating SPPs. The present study advances the understanding of the mechanism of hot electron transfer, which is anticipated to aid in the rational design and optimization of plasmonic-semiconductor hybrid nanomaterials with broad applications in photocatalysis, photovoltaic devices, and photoelectrochemical sensing.

Graphical abstract: Visualizing the bidirectional electron transfer in a Schottky junction consisting of single CdS nanoparticles and a planar gold film

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Edge Article
Submitted
03 Mar 2017
Accepted
23 Apr 2017
First published
18 May 2017
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Chem. Sci., 2017,8, 5019-5023

Visualizing the bidirectional electron transfer in a Schottky junction consisting of single CdS nanoparticles and a planar gold film

Z. Li, Y. Fang, Y. Wang, Y. Jiang, T. Liu and W. Wang, Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 5019 DOI: 10.1039/C7SC00990A

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