Date: March 19, 2019
Source: Institute of Nanophotonics

Lou Zaizhu, an associate professor in JNU's Institute of Nanophotonics, and his team have published their progress in the stability of nonmetallic surface plasmon resonance in Advanced Functional Materials (SCI Impact Factor: 13.325), an internationally renowned academic journal.

Nonmetallic plasmonic heterostructure TiO2‐mesocrystals/WO3−x‐nanowires (TiO2‐MCs/WO3−x‐NWs) are constructed by coupling mesoporous crystal TiO2 and plasmonic WO3−x through a solvothermal procedure. The continuous photoelectron injection from TiO2 stabilizes the free carrier density and leads to strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of WO3−x, resulting in strong light absorption in the visible and near‐infrared region. Photocatalytic hydrogen generation of TiO2‐MCs/WO3−x‐NWs is attributed to plasmonic hot electrons excited on WO3−x‐NWs under visible light irradiation. However, utilization of injected photoelectrons on WO3−x‐NWs has low efficiency for hydrogen generation and a co‐catalyst (Pt) is necessary. TiO2‐MCs/WO3−x‐NWs are used as co‐catalyst free plasmonic photocatalysts for CO2 reduction, which exhibit much higher activity (16.3 µmol g−1 h−1) and selectivity (83%) than TiO2‐MCs (3.5 µmol g−1 h−1, 42%) and WO3−x‐NWs (8.0 µmol g−1 h−1, 64%) for methane generation under UV–vis light irradiation. A photoluminescence study demonstrates the photoelectron injection from TiO2 to WO3−x, and the nonmetallic SPR of WO3−x plays a great role in the highly selective methane generation during CO2 photoreduction.

(Diagram of nonmetallic surface plasmon composite TiO2/WO3-x structure and electron transfer)
In recent years Lou has published six papers as the lead author in journals with impact factors greater than 10, including ACS Nano, Advanced Functional Materials and Applied Catalysis B: Environmental. Since joining JNU in 2017, he has led programs supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Outstanding Youth Science Foundation and the Guangdong Provincial Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. He was also been selected as a Young Pearl River Scholar of Guangdong.