Photochemical transformations on plasmonic metal nanoparticles

Optically excited plasmonic nanoparticles can activate chemical reactions on their surfaces. The underlying physical mechanisms responsible for the chemical activity and advances in photocatalysis on plasmonic metallic nanostructures are discussed. The strong interaction of electromagnetic fields with plasmonic nanomaterials offers opportunities in various technologies that take advantage of photophysical processes amplified by this light–matter interaction. Recently, it has been shown that in addition to photophysical processes, optically excited plasmonic nanoparticles can also activate chemical transformations directly on their surfaces. This potentially offers a number of opportunities in the field of selective chemical synthesis. In this Review we summarize recent progress in the field of photochemical catalysis on plasmonic metallic nanostructures. We discuss the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for the observed chemical activity, and the issues that must be better understood to see progress in the field of plasmon-mediated photocatalysis.