Nanoscale islands dot light-driven catalyst

said braka 2:24 AM
The structures have an aluminum core and are dotted

with even smaller metallic islands. The  all sustain localized surface plasmon resonances, collective oscillations of the electrons inside the nanostructure that activate when light hits the particle.
These nanoscale oscillations in electron density can power chemical reactions and even power reaction-promoting catalysts.
The technique developed in the labs of Rice materials scientists Emilie Ringe and Naomi Halas uses aluminum nanocrystals as a base for size-tunable transition metal islands that enable localized surface plasmon resonances. Aluminum is an effective plasmonic material, but adding smaller catalytic particles from three columns of the periodic table enhances the structure's ability to promote chemical reactions driven by light's energy, as shown in a previous collaboration between the Halas and Ringe groups.
The technique allows for customizable surface chemistry and reactivity in one material, the researchers said. It could be useful for photocatalysis, surface-enhanced spectroscopy and quantum plasmonics, the study of the quantum properties of light and how they interact with nanoparticles.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-10-nanoscale-islands-dot-light-driven-catalyst.html#jCp