Plasmon-Enhanced Photochemistry: From Fundamentals to Applications
A special issue of Chemistry (ISSN 2624-8549). This special issue belongs to the section "Photochemistry and Excited States".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 270
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plasmon-enhanced photochemistry has emerged as a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field at the intersection of physical chemistry, materials science, and nanophotonics. This research area exploits localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in metallic nanostructures—typically made of Au, Ag, or Cu—to dramatically amplify local electromagnetic fields, generate energetic hot carriers, and induce localized heating upon light illumination. These effects collectively enable precise control over photochemical reaction pathways, rates, and selectivity, offering a powerful alternative to conventional photocatalysis that is often limited by semiconductor bandgap constraints. Plasmonic photocatalysis holds significant promise for applications in solar fuel generation, environmental remediation, selective organic synthesis, and ultrasensitive molecular detection.
Recent advances have focused on rational design of plasmonic nanoarchitectures, engineering of plasmonic modes, and integration with semiconductors or molecular catalysts to optimize energy and charge transfer processes. Concurrently, breakthroughs in operando and ultrafast characterization techniques—such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy—have provided deeper mechanistic insights into plasmon–molecule interactions at the nanoscale.
To foster continued progress in this vibrant field, the Special Issue entitled “Plasmon-Enhanced Photochemistry: From Fundamentals to Applications” is pleased to announced. We warmly invite original research articles and comprehensive reviews addressing topics including, but not limited to:
- Design and controlled synthesis of new plasmonic nanostructures ((such as non-noble metals, doped semiconductors, two-dimensional materials, perovskites);
- Mechanisms of hot electron/hole-driven photochemical reactions;
- Energy and charge transfer in plasmonic–semiconductor or plasmonic–molecular hybrid systems;
- In-situ/ultrafast spectroscopic characterization of plasmon-mediated reaction dynamics;
- Plasmon-enhanced CO2 reduction, water splitting, organic transformations, and pollutant degradation;
- Theoretical modeling and machine learning-guided design of plasmonic photocatalysts.
Dr. Botao Wu
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- surface plasmon resonance
- plasmonic catalysis
- hot carriers
- photochemistry
- nanophotonics
- electromagnetic field enhancement
- plasmon-mediated reactions
- SERS
- photocatalysis
- nanostructured materials
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