Enabling Surface Chemistry with Plasmon-mediated Catalysis

When a light source is focused onto a metallic nanoparticle, a phenomenon called localized surface plasmon resonance occurs and can be utilized to guide light, perform highly sensitive spectroscopy measurements and induce efficient surface chemistry reactions. The “hot-electrons” generated by the light excitation are triggering the chemical reactions that could not be initiated otherwise. This project aims at exploring plasmon-mediated reactions and to impart new functionalities at the surface of the metallic particles that could in turn be used as sensing units. When suitable reactants are located in the vicinity of the metal nanoparticle, the hot-electrons participate in chemical reactions by enabling surface reactivity. In this way, we can catalyze chemical reactions on surfaces with metal nanoparticles. An example of this is the reduction of diazonium salts in the vicinity of gold nanoparticles […]

Faculty Supervisor:

François Lagugné-Labarthet

Student:

Partner:

Université Paris Descartes

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

Western University

Program: