"With the synthesis approach developed in this study, catalytically active metals can be thinly coated on the surface of various types of plasmonic nanoparticles at the atomic level," remarked Professor In Su Lee who led the study. Moreover, using this approach, different surface curvatures of plasmonic nanocrystals can be independently coated and activated using different light sources, so that the activity of a specific catalyst among mixed catalyst materials can be selectively and remotely operable. In particular, hybrid nanocrystals coated with a thin platinum film on plasmonic gold nanorods exhibited very high energy conversion resulting the enhanced rate of catalysis for a photocatalytic reaction, which converts organic molecules using near-infrared laser as an energy source without any loss in the catalytic activity even after repeated use. This thinly coated metal lamination did not affect the optical properties of the core material, and this strategy provides a platform to synthesize hybrid photo-catalytic materials, in which the catalytic performance of the shell and the plasmonic properties of the core material are effectively combined. Transmission electron microscopy image of plasmonic–catalytic hybrid nanoreactors. It can be expressed similarly to coating the surface of a pill in a capsule with a thin film. Here, by irradiating a light source, the researchers succeeded in coating the surface of the plasmonic nanocrystals with a very thin and uniform laminations with a thickness of an atom. The research team led by Professor In Su Lee of POSTECH's Department of Chemistry fabricated a nanostructure confinement system to eliminate the factors that caused thick shell growth in conventional techniques and a system where plasmonic nanoparticles can be individually separated in solution. However, conventional strategies reported so far cause thick shells by damaging or deforming the core materials, significantly compromising their plasmonic characteristics. In order to form an efficient plasmonic-catalytic hybrid system, a technique for coating a very thin metal shell on the plasmonic core is crucial. Under the exposure of light, the surface of this photocatalytic hybrid can efficiently convert light energy into chemical energy. In particular, the surface of the core plasmonic nanoparticles (gold) are uniformly coated with catalytically active transition metals (platinum, palladium, ruthenium, and rhodium) in the structures. Nanocrystals, which have a structure of a core surrounded by a shell, can harness the interfacial synergy from the core and shell counterparts, rendering applications in catalysis, electronics, and displays.
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