Design of plasmonic metal-semiconductor nanohybrids for photocatalytic applications

Abstract

The development of nanohybrids in which a semiconductor as TiO2 is combined with plasmonic nanoparticles produces the formation of photocatalysts with a catalytic activity expanded to a wider region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Such complex materials are capable of absorbing radiation much more efficiently than the original semiconductor. On the other hand, the use of several substrates to form these materials (for example, colloidal silica or polystyrene, thermosensitive polymers or anisotropic oxides) allows controlling the interaction between the plasmonic particles and the semiconductor to optimize the final hybrid depending on the desired application. The main objective of this work will be the development of several hybrid photocatalysts using different substrates in order to optimize the distance, distribution and interaction of the particles to achieve more efficient catalysts depending on the desired application.