Nitrogen-doped microporous graphite-enhanced copper plasmonic effect for solar evaporation

Water scarcity is a global challenge,and solar evaporation technology offers a promising and eco-friendly solution for freshwater production.Photothermal conversion materials(PCMs)are crucial for solar evaporation.Improving photothermal conversion efficiency and reducing water evaporation enthalpy are the two key strategies for the designing of PCMs.The desired PCMs that combine both of these properties remain a challenging task,even with the latest advancements in the field.Herein,we developed copper nanoparticles(NPs)with different conjugated nitrogen-doped microporous carbon coatings(Cu@C–N)as PCMs.The microporous carbon enveloping layer provides a highly efficient pathway for water transport and a nanoconfined environment that protects Cu NPs and facilitates the evaporation of water clusters,reducing the enthalpy of water evaporation.Meanwhile,the conjugated nitrogen nodes form strong metal-organic coordination bonds with the surface of copper NPs,acting as an energy bridge to achieve rapid energy transfer and provide high solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency.The Cu@C–N exhibited up to 89.4%solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency and an evaporation rate of 1.94 kgm^(−2) h^(−1) under one sun irradiation,outperforming conventional PCMs,including carbon-based materials and semiconductor materials.These findings offer an efficient design scheme for high-performance PCMs essential for solar evaporators to address global water scarcity.

Photocatalytic seawater splitting by 2D heterostructure of ZnIn_(2)S_(4)/WO_(3) decorated with plasmonic Au for hydrogen evolution under visible light

Photocatalytic H_(2) evolution from seawater splitting presents a promising approach to tackle the fossil energy crisis and mitigate carbon emission due to the abundant source of seawater and sunlight on the earth.However,the development of efficient photocatalysts for seawater splitting remains a formidable challenge.Herein,a 2D/2D ZnIn_(2)S_(4)/WO_(3)(ZIS/WO_(3))heterojunction nanostructure is fabricated to efficiently separate the photoinduced carriers by steering electron transfer from the conduction band minimum of WO_(3) to the valence band maximum of ZIS via constructing internal electric field.Subsequently,plasmonic Au nanoparticles(NPs)as a novel photosensitizer and a reduction cocatalyst are anchored on ZIS/WO_(3) surface to further enhance the optical absorption of ZIS/WO_(3) heterojunction and accelerate the catalytic conversion.The obtained Au/ZIS/WO_(3) photocatalyst exhibits an outstanding H_(2) evolution rate of 2610.6 or 3566.3μmol g^(-1)h~(-1)from seawater splitting under visible or full-spectrum light irradiation,respectively.These rates represent an impressive increase of approximately 7.3-and 6,6-fold compared to those of ZIS under the illumination of the same light source.The unique 2D/2D structure,internal electric field,and plasmonic metal modification together boost the photocatalytic H_(2) evolution rate of Au/ZIS/WO_(3),making it even comparable to H_(2) evolution from pure water splitting.The present work sheds light on the development of efficient photocatalysts for seawater splitting.

Gap induced mode evolution under the asymmetric structure in a plasmonic resonator system

The modulation of resonance features in microcavities is important to applications in nanophotonics.Based on the asymmetric whispering-gallery modes(WGMs)in a plasmonic resonator,we theoretically studied the mode evolution in an asymmetric WGM plasmonic system.Exploiting the gap or nano-scatter in the plasmonic ring cavity,the symmetry of the system will be broken and the standing wave in the cavity will be tunable.Based on this asymmetric structure,the output coupling rate between the two cavity modes can also be tuned.Moreover,the proposed method could further be applied for sensing and detecting the position of defects in a WGM system.

Highly sensitive and stable probe refractometer based on configurable plasmonic resonance with nano-modified fiber core

A dispersion model is developed to provide a generic tool for configuring plasmonic resonance spectral characteristics.The customized design of the resonance curve aiming at specific detection requirements can be achieved.According to the model,a probe-type nano-modified fiber optic configurable plasmonic resonance(NMF-CPR)sensor with tip hot spot enhancement is demonstrated for the measurement of the refractive index in the range of 1.3332-1.3432 corresponding to the low-concentration biomarker solution.The new-type sensing structure avoids excessive broadening and redshift of the resonance dip,which provides more possibilities for the surface modification of other functional nanomaterials.The tip hot spots in nanogaps between the Au layer and Au nanostars(AuNSs),the tip electric field enhancement of AuNSs,and the high carrier mobility of the WSe_(2)layer synergistically and significantly enhance the sensitivity of the sensor.Ex-perimental results show that the sensitivity and the figure of merit of the tip hot spot enhanced fiber NMF-CPR sensor can achieve up to 2995.70 nm/RIU and 25.04 RIU^(−1),respectively,which are 1.68 times and 1.29 times higher than those of the conventional fiber plasmonic resonance sensor.The results achieve good agreements with numerical simulations,demonstrate a better level compared to similar reported studies,and verify the correctness of the dispersion model.The detection resolution of the sensor reaches up to 2.00×10^(−5)RIU,which is obviously higher than that of the conventional side-polished fiber plasmonic resonance sensor.This indicates a high detection accuracy of the sensor.The dense Au layer effectively prevents the intermediate nanomaterials from shedding and chemical degradation,which enables the sensor with high stability.Furthermore,the terminal reflective sensing structure can be used as a practical probe and can allow a more convenient operation.

A High-Sensitivity Refractive-Index Sensor Based on Plasmonic Waveguides Asymmetrically Coupled with a Nanodisk Resonator

A high-sensitivity plasmonic refractive-index sensor based on the asymmetrical coupling of two metal-insulator- metal waveguides with a nanodisk resonator is proposed and simulated in the finite-difference time domain. Both analytic and simulated results show that the resonance wavelengths of the sensor have an approximate linear relationship with the refractive index of the materials which are filled into the slit waveguides and the disk- shaped resonator. The working mechanism of this sensor is exactly due to the linear relationship, based on which tile refractive index of the materials unknown can be obtained from the detection of the resonance wavelength. The measurement sensitivity can reach as high as 6.45 × 10-7, which is nearly five times higher than the results reported in the recent literature [Opt. Commun. 300 （2013） 265]. With an optimum design, the sensing value can be further improved, and it can be widely applied into the biological sensing. Tile sensor working for temperature sensing is also analyzed.

Characterization of squash polysaccharide and the anti-diabetic effect on type 2 diabetic rat revealed by urine metabolomics analysis

The present study reports the structural characteristics of 3 polysaccharide fractions(SPS-F1,SPS-F2 and SPS-F3)isolated and purified from squash.SPS-F1(molecular weight(Mw)=12.30 kDa)and SPS-F2(Mw=19.40 kDa)were likely to contain HG and RG-I domain of pectic polysaccharide,respectively.SPS-F2(Mw=270.4 kDa)was mainly composed of rhamnose,galactose and arabinose.The treatment with SPS decreased body weight gain,glucose and TG levels in type 2 diabetes rats.Besides,25 differential metabolites were identified based on urinary metabolomics analysis,which are crucial to the anti-diabetic effect of SPS.The regulation of nicotinamide N-oxide,histamine,cis-aconitate,citrate,L-malic acid,3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid and N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid were mainly associated with energy metabolism,gut microbiota and inflammation.Study of surface plasmon resonance revealed the binding kinetics with galectin-3(Gal-3)and fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2).The K_(D)values of SPS-F2 and SPS-F3 to Gal-3 were 4.97×10^(-3)and 1.48×10^(-3)mol/L,indicating a weak binding affinity.All 3 fractions showed moderate binding to FGF2 and the affinity was SPS-F3>SPS-F2>SPS-F1.Thus,the metabolomics and SPR approach were proved to be a promising tool in exploring the anti-diabetes effects of SPS and provided a deep understanding of the mechanisms.

A Multifunctional Chiral Metasurface with Asymmetric Transmission and Linear-Polarization Conversion

In this paper,a multifunctional chiral metasurface is presented to achieve asymmetric transmission(AT)and linear-polarization conversion(LPC).The designed metasurface consists of a cross swords-like shape and two holes in the lower side of the unit cell.In the frequency band from 8.3 GHz to 10.4 GHz,AT is realized with more than 90%efficiency and the same chiral metasurface transforms linear polarized wave into its orthogonal counterpart with high efficiency.For LPC,the polarization conversion ratio(PCR)is greater than 95%.The proposed metasurface is stable against the incident angles of striking electromagnetic(EM)waves up to 60°for both operations of AT and LPC.

Resonance properties of THz plasmonic dipole-bowtie antenna array: The critical role of the substrate

Subwavelength arrays of dipole-bowtie antennas are designed and characterized using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy（THz-TDS） and finite element method（FEM） simulations. Two different substrates, silicon and mylar with an order of magnitude difference between their thickness values are used to study the resonance properties of the antennas.The 640-μm thick silicon substrate supports a sharper fundamental mode resonance. We discover that higher-order Fabry–Perot resonances can be excited only in 24-μm thin mylar substrates and show much higher sensitivity to dielectric changes in the environment and the geometrical parameters of the antennas than the fundamental dipole resonance.

On-chip readout plasmonic mid-IR gas sensor

Gas identification and concentration measurements are important for both understanding and monitoring a variety of phenomena from industrial processes to environmental change.Here a novel mid-IR plasmonic gas sensor with on-chip direct readout is proposed based on unity integration of narrowband spectral response,localized field enhancement and thermal detection.A systematic investigation consisting of both optical and thermal simulations for gas sensing is presented for the first time in three sensing modes including refractive index sensing,absorption sensing and spectroscopy,respectively.It is found that a detection limit less than 100 ppm for CO2 could be realized by a combination of surface plasmon resonance enhancement and metal-organic framework gas enrichment with an enhancement factor over 8000 in an ultracompact optical interaction length of only several microns.Moreover,on-chip spectroscopy is demonstrated with the compressive sensing algorithm via a narrowband plasmonic sensor array.An array of 80 such sensors with an average resonance linewidth of 10 nm reconstructs the CO2 molecular absorption spectrum with the estimated resolution of approximately 0.01 nm far beyond the state-of-the-art spectrometer.The novel device design and analytical method are expected to provide a promising technique for extensive applications of distributed or portable mid-IR gas sensor.

Decorating non-noble metal plasmonic Al on a TiO2/Cu2O photoanode to boost performance in photoelectrochemical water splitting

Designing low-cost and high-performance photoelectrodes with improved light harvesting and charge separation rates is significant in photoelectrochemical water splitting.Here,a novel TiO2/Cu2O/Al/Al2O3 photoelectrode is manufactured by depositing plasmonic nanoparticles of the non-noble metal Al on the surface of a TiO2/Cu2O core/shell heterojunction for the first time.The Al nanoparticles,which exhibit a surface plasmon resonance(SPR)effect and are substantially less expensive than noble metals such as Au and Ag,generate hot electron-hole pairs and amplify the electromagnetic field at the interface under illumination.The as-prepared TiO2/Cu2O/Al/Al2O3 photoelectrodes have an extended absorption range and enhanced carrier separation and transfer.Their photocurrent density of 4.52 mA·cm^-2 at 1.23 V vs.RHE represents an 1.84-fold improvement over that of TiO2/Cu2O.Specifically,the ultrathin Al2O3 passivation layer spontaneously generated on the surface of Al in air could act as a protective layer to significantly increase its stability.In this work,the synergistic effect of the heterojunctions and the SPR effect of the non-noble metal Al significantly improve the photoelectrode performance,providing a novel concept for the design of electrodes with good properties and high practicability.

Plasmonic CsPbBr_(3)–Au nanocomposite for excitation wavelength dependent photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction

The optoelectronic performance of CsPbBr_3 nanocrystal(NC) has been dramatically limited by the severe charge carrier recombination and its narrow light absorption range,which are anticipated to be resolved via coupling with plasmonic Au nanoparticle(NP).In view of this,CsPbBr_3-Au nanocomposite is fabricated and further employed as a concept model to study the electronic interaction between perovskite NC and Au NP for the first time.It has been found that the excitation-wavelength dependent carrier transfer behavior exists in CsPbBr_3-Au nanocomposite.Upon illumination with visible light(λ>420 nm),photo-generated electrons in CsPbBr_3 can inject into Au with an electron injection rate and efficiency of 2.84×10~9 s^(-1) and 78%,respectively.The boosted charge separation is further translated into a 3.2-fold enhancement in CO_2 photocatalytic reduction activity compared with pristine CsPbBr_3.On the other hand,when solely exciting Au NP with longer wavelength light(λ>580 nm),the localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) induced hot electrons in Au NPs can transfer to CsPbBr_3 NC and further participate in photocatalytic reaction towards CO_2 reduction.The present study provides new insights into preparing plasmonic nanostructure to enhance the performance of perovskite based optoelectronic devices.

Evaluation of the plasmonic effect of Au and Ag on Ti-based photocatalysts in the reduction of CO2 to CH4

Crystalline TiO（P25） and isolated titanate species in a ZSM-5 structure（TS-1） were modified with Au and Ag, respectively, and tested in the gas-phase photocatalytic COreduction under high purity conditions. The noble metal modification was performed by photodeposition. Light absorbance properties of the catalysts are examined with UV–Vis spectroscopy before and after the activity test. In the gas-phase photocatalytic COreduction, it was observed that the catalysts with Ag nanostructures are more active than those with Au nanostructures. It is thus found that the energetic difference between the band gap energy of the semiconductor and the position of the plasmon is influencing the photocatalytic activity.Potentially, plasmon excitation due to visible light absorption results in plasmon resonance energy, which affects the excitation of the semiconductor positively. Therefore, an overlap between band gap energy of the semiconductor and metal plasmon is needed.

Photocurrent improvement of an ultra-thin silicon solar cell using the localized surface plasmonic effect of clustering nanoparticles

The cluster-shaped plasmonic nanostructures are used to manage the incident light inside an ultra-thin silicon solar cell.Here we simulate spherical,conical,pyramidal,and cylindrical nanoparticles in a form of a cluster at the rear side of a thin silicon cell,using the finite difference time domain(FDTD)method.By calculating the optical absorption and hence the photocurrent,it is shown that the clustering of nanoparticles significantly improves them.The photocurrent enhancement is the result of the plasmonic effects of clustering the nanoparticles.For comparison,first a cell with a single nanoparticle at the rear side is evaluated.Then four smaller nanoparticles are put around it to make a cluster.The photocurrents of 20.478 mA/cm2,23.186 mA/cm2,21.427 mA/cm2,and 21.243 mA/cm2 are obtained for the cells using clustering conical,spherical,pyramidal,cylindrical NPs at the backside,respectively.These values are 13.987 mA/cm2,16.901 mA/cm2,16.507 mA/cm2,17.926 mA/cm2 for the cell with one conical,spherical,pyramidal,cylindrical NPs at the backside,respectively.Therefore,clustering can significantly improve the photocurrents.Finally,the distribution of the electric field and the generation rate for the proposed structures are calculated.

Plasmonic Ag‑Decorated Few‑Layer MoS2 Nanosheets Vertically Grown on Graphene for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

A controllable approach that combines surface plasmon resonance and twodimensional(2D)graphene/MoS2 heterojunction has not been implemented despite its potential for efficient photoelectrochemical(PEC)water splitting.In this study,plasmonic Ag-decorated 2D MoS2 nanosheets were vertically grown on graphene substrates in a practical large-scale manner through metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of MoS2 and thermal evaporation of Ag.The plasmonic Ag-decorated MoS2 nanosheets on graphene yielded up to 10 times higher photo-to-dark current ratio than MoS2 nanosheets on indium tin oxide.The significantly enhanced PEC activity could be attributed to the synergetic effects of SPR and favorable graphene/2D MoS2 heterojunction.Plasmonic Ag nanoparticles not only increased visible-light and near-infrared absorption of 2D MoS2,but also induced highly amplified local electric field intensity in 2D MoS2.In addition,the vertically aligned 2D MoS2 on graphene acted as a desirable heterostructure for efficient separation and transportation of photo-generated carriers.This study provides a promising path for exploiting the full potential of 2D MoS2 for practical large-scale and efficient PEC water-splitting applications.

On the comparable activity in plasmonic photocatalytic and thermocatalytic oxidative homocoupling of alkynes over prereduced copper ferrite

Despite of extensive attention on the copper-based heterogeneous oxidative homocoupling of alkynes(OHA)to 1,3-diynes,the photocatalytic OHA is scarcely investigated.By screening copper-containing spinel catalysts,we discovered that a prereduced copper ferrite(CuFe2O4)not only can catalyze the thermocatalytic OHA but also is efficient for the photocatalytic OHA under visible light irradiation.It is found that the sol-gel combustion(SG)method and the partial reduction at 250 ℃ can result in the optimal CuFe2O4-SG-250 catalyst showing high activity and stability.Surface oxidized Cu2O is evidenced to be the active species for the thermocatalytic OHA,whereas metallic copper nanopaticles(CuNPs)are identified as the active sites for the photocatalytic OHA.The efficiency of photocatalytic OHA at ambient temperature is comparable to that of thermocatalytic OHA at 120 ℃,and the CuFe2O4-SG-250 catalyst can be magnetically separated and reused at least five times.The localized surface plasmon resonance effect of CuNPs contributes to visible light-induced photocatalytic OHA.

Plasmonic interactions between a perforated gold film and a thin gold film

Based on the finite difference time domain method, we investigated theoretically the optical properties and the plasmonic interactions between a gold film perforated with periodic sub-wavelength holes and a thin gold film. We showed that the plasmon resonant energies and intensities depend strongly on the thicknesses of the two films and the lattice constant. Based on the distributions of normal electric field component Ez, tangential electric field component Ey and total energy, we showed that the optical transmission is due to the collaboration of the localized waveguide resonance, the surface plasmon resonance and the coupling of the fiat-surface plasmon of the two layers.

Noble-metal-free plasmonic MoO_(3-x)-based S-scheme heterojunction for photocatalytic dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol to storable H2 fuel and benzaldehyde

Simultaneous generation of H_(2) fuel and value-added chemicals has attracted increasing attention since the photogenerated electrons and holes can be both employed to convert solar light into chemical energy.Herein,for realizing UV-visible-NIR light driven dehydrogenation of benzyl alcohol(BA)into benzaldehydes(BAD)and H_(2),a novel localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR)enhanced S-scheme heterojunction was designed by combining noble-metal-free plasmon MoO_(3-x) as oxidation semiconductor and Zn_(0.1)Cd_(0.9)S as reduction semiconductor.The photoredox system of Zn_(0.1)Cd_(0.9)S/MoO_(3-x) displayed an unconventional reaction model,in which the BA served as both electron donor and acceptor.The S-scheme charge transfer mechanism induced by the formed internal electric field enhanced the redox ability of charge carriers thermodynamically and boosted charge separation kinetically.Moreover,due to the LSPR effect of MoO_(3-x) nanosheets,Zn_(0.1)Cd_(0.9)S/MoO_(3-x) photocatalysts exhibited strong absorption in the region of full solar spectrum.Therefore,the Zn_(0.1)Cd_(0.9)S/MoO_(3-x) composite generated H_(2) and BAD simultaneously via selective oxidation of BA with high production(34.38 and 33.83 mmol×g^(–1) for H_(2) and BAD,respectively)upon full solar illumination.Even under NIR light irradiation,the H_(2) production rate could up to 94.5 mmol×g^(–1)×h^(–1).In addition,the Zn_(0.1)Cd_(0.9)S/MoO_(3-x) composite displayed effective photocatalytic H_(2) evolution rate up to 149.2 mmol×g^(–1)×h^(–1) from water,which was approximate 6 times that of pure Zn_(0.1)Cd_(0.9)S.This work provides a reference for rational design of plasmonic S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for coproduction of high-value chemicals and solar fuel production.

Optical binding forces between plasmonic nanocubes： A numerical study based on discrete-dipole approximation

Plasmonic nanocubes are ideal candidates in realizing controllable reflectance surfaces, unidirectional nanoantennas and other plasmon-associated applications. In this work, we perform full-wave calculations of the optical forces in threedimensional gold nanocube dimers. For a fixed center-to-center separation, the rotation of the plasmonic nanocube leads to a slight shift of the plasmonic resonance wavelength and a strong change in the optical binding forces. The effective gap and the near field distribution between the two nanocubes are shown to be crucial to this force variation. We further find that the optical binding force is dominated by the scattering process while the optical forces in the wavevector direction are affected by both scattering and absorption, making the former relatively more sensitive to the rotation of(an effective gap between) the nanocubes. Our results would be useful for building all-optically controllable meta-surfaces.

Refractive Plasmonic Sensor Based on Fano Resonances in an Optical System

A symmetric plasmonie structure consisting of metal-insulator metal waveguide, groove studied, which supports double Fano resonances deriving from two different mechanisms and slot cavities is One of the Fano resonances originates from the interference between the resonances of groove and slot cavities, and the other comes from the interference between slot cavities. The spectral line shapes and the peaks of the double Fano resonances can be modulated by changing the length of the slot cavities and the height of the groove. Furthermore, the wavelength of the resonance peak has a linear relationship with the length of the slot cavities. The proposed plasmonic nanosensor possesses a sensitivity of 800nm/RIU and a figure of merit of 3150, which may have important applications in switches, sensors, and nonlinear devices.

Polarization-Insensitive Magnetic Quadrupole-Shaped and Electric Quadrupole-Shaped Fano Resonances Based on a Plasmonic Composite Structure

A combined structure with the unit cell consisting of four sub-units with 90° rotation in turn is designed. Each of sub-units is composed of two gold rods in transverse arrangement and one gold rod in longitudinal arrangement. Simulating electromagnetic responses of the structure, we verify that the structure exhibits the double Fano resonances, which originate from the coupling between magnetic quadrupoles and electric dipoles and the coupling between electric quadrupoles and electric dipoles. Simulation results also demonstrate that the structure is polarization-insensitive and shows an analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency at the two Fano resonances. Such a plasmonic structure has potential applications in photoelectric elements.