Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy toward Application in Plasmonic Photocatalysis on Metal Nanostructures

Publication date: Available online 8 November 2014 Source:Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews Author(s): Xue-Jiao Chen , Gema Cabello , De-Yin Wu , Zhong-Qun Tian Among photothermal, photovoltaic and photochemical techniques, photochemistry is superior in energy storage and transportation by converting photons into chemical fuels. Recently plasmonic photocatalysis, based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) generated from noble metal nanostructures, has attracted much attention. It promotes photochemical reaction efficiency by optimizing the solar spectrum absorption and the surface reaction kinetics. The deeper understanding is in urgent need for the development of novel plasmonic photocatalysts. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which is also originated from the LSPR effect, provides an excellent opportunity to probe and monitor plasmonic photoreactions in-situ and in real-time, with a very high surface sensitivity and energy resolution. Here, fundamentals of plasmonic photocatalysis and SERS are first presented based on their connections to the LSPR effect. Following by a validity analysis, latest studies of SERS applied for the plasmon mediated photochemical reaction are reviewed, focusing on the reaction kinetics and mechanism exploration. Finally, limitations of the present study, as well as the future research directions, are briefly analyzed and discussed.
Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research