Plasmonic nanomaterials like Ag and Au can concentrate light at the nanoscale through localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). LSPR occurs when free electrons in metals like Au or Ag oscillate collectively in response to light. This can produce energetic “hot electrons” that transfer to nearby molecules, helping drive chemical reactions. These effects can speed up reactions, improve efficiency, and influence product selectivity in processes such as CO₂ reduction. However, fully harnessing these energy pathways for CO₂ electroreduction remains a major challenge.
Andrei Stefancu and Emiliano Cortés, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany, Min Liu, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China, and colleagues have created copper–palladium (CuPd) nanoparticles with distinct Cu, Pd, and Cu–Pd interface sites. They then illuminated the catalyst with red LED light (625 nm) under electrochemical conditions to study how plasmon resonances influence CO₂ reduction pathways.
Under illumination, ethylene production increased by 27% compared to dark conditions. Plasmon-induced hot electrons and heating promoted *CO formation at the Cu–Pd interface, which then diffused to Cu sites where C–C coupling was facilitated, lowering the energy barrier for ethylene formation.
As the catalyst only responds to specific light (625 nm), it could potentially be powered by sunlight in future designs.
This work shows that plasmonic excitation can steer reactions toward more valuable multicarbon products, advancing the design of next-generation catalysts for sustainable CO₂ recycling.
- Plasmon-Enhanced C2H4 Generation in the CO2 Electroreduction Reaction on a CuPd Tandem Catalyst
Li Zhu, Kang Liu, Huang Jingwei Li, Ziwen Mei, Yicui Kang, Qin Chen, Xiaojian Wang, Hang Zhang, Xin Zi, Qiyou Wang, Junwei Fu, Evangelina Pensa, Andrei Stefancu, Min Liu, Emiliano Cortés
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c10517
