Plasmonic nanostructures have been employed as a novel class of tunable and robust light harvesting materials for solar energy conversion.1–6 The nanostructures have a noticeable feature, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which indicates a strong oscillation of free electrons at metallic interfaces. The LSPR effect brings an advantage to the photocatalysis on semiconductors. The plasmonic metal nanoparticles play an important role in a metal/semiconductor junction for a strong absorption of specific wavelengths and transfer of energetic electron. These hot electrons are formed during the process of the LSPR excitation, to the nearby semiconductor. However, plasmon-induced hot electron injection from a metal to a semiconductor is so far less efficient because hot electrons are quickly relaxed into lower energy levels.
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