Abstract
Plasmonic nanoparticles have recently emerged as promising photocatalysts for light-driven chemical conversions. Their illumination results in the generation of highly energetic charge carriers, elevated surface temperatures, and enhanced electromagnetic fields. Distinguishing between these often-overlapping processes is of paramount importance for the rational design of future plasmonic photocatalysts. However, the study of plasmon-driven chemical reactions is typically performed at the ensemble level and, therefore, is limited by the intrinsic heterogeneity of the catalysts. Here, we report an in situ single-particle study of a fluorogenic chemical reaction driven solely by plasmonic near-fields. Using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, we map the position of individual product molecules with an ∼30 nm spatial resolution and demonstrate a clear correlation between the electric field distribution around individual nanoparticles and their super-resolved catalytic activity maps. Our results can be extended to systems with more complex electric field distributions, thereby guiding the design of future advanced photocatalysts.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2149-2155 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nano Letters |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 19 Feb 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 10 Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- fluorogenic reactions
- near-fields
- photochemistry
- plasmonics
- super-resolution microscopy