Issue 20, 2023

Au@C/Pt core@shell/satellite supra-nanostructures: plasmonic antenna–reactor hybrid nanocatalysts

Abstract

Integration of plasmonic nanoantennas with catalytically active reactors in deliberately designed hybrid supra-nanostructures creates a dual-functional materials platform, based upon which precise modulation of catalytic reaction kinetics becomes accomplishable through optical excitations of plasmon resonances. Here, we have developed a multistep synthetic approach that enables us to assemble colloidal Au@C/Pt core@shell/satellite supra-nanostructures, in which the Au core functions as a light-harvesting plasmonic nanoantenna, the Pt satellites act as catalytically active reactors, and the C shell serves as a nanoscale dielectric spacer separating the reactors from the antenna, respectively. By adjusting several synthetic parameters, the size of the Au core, the thickness of the C shell, and the surface coverage of Pt satellites can all be tuned independently. Choosing Pt-catalyzed cascade oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine in an aerobic aqueous environment as a model reaction, we have systematically studied the detailed kinetic features of the catalytic reactions both in the dark and under visible light illumination over a broad range of reaction conditions, which sheds light on the interplay between plasmonic and catalytic effects in these antenna–reactor nanohybrids. The plasmonic antenna effect can be effectively harnessed to kinetically modulate multiple crucial steps during the cascade reactions, benefiting from plasmon-enhanced interband electronic transitions in the Pt satellites and plasmon-enhanced intramolecular electronic excitations in chromogenic intermediate species. In addition to the plasmonic antenna effect, photothermal transduction derived from plasmonic excitations can also provide significant contributions to the kinetic enhancements under visible light illumination. The knowledge gained from this work serves as important guiding principles for rational design and structural optimization of plasmonic antenna–reactor hybrid nanomaterials, endowing us with enhanced capabilities to kinetically modulate targeted catalytic/photocatalytic molecule-transforming processes through light illumination.

Graphical abstract: Au@C/Pt core@shell/satellite supra-nanostructures: plasmonic antenna–reactor hybrid nanocatalysts

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 jul 2023
Accepted
19 aug 2023
First published
23 aug 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale Adv., 2023,5, 5435-5448

Au@C/Pt core@shell/satellite supra-nanostructures: plasmonic antenna–reactor hybrid nanocatalysts

Z. Wang and H. Wang, Nanoscale Adv., 2023, 5, 5435 DOI: 10.1039/D3NA00498H

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