Plasmon-Induced Hot Carrier Dynamics in Nanostructured Materials

Plasmon-induced hot carrier dynamics in nanostructured materials unite the fields of plasmonics, ultrafast spectroscopy and energy conversion. Incident light stimulates collective oscillations of conduction electrons—plasmons—in metallic nanostructures. Non-radiative decay of these plasmons generates highly energetic, non-equilibrium electrons and holes (‘hot carriers’) on femtosecond timescales. The subsequent relaxation pathways involve ballistic transport, electron–phonon coupling and interfacial transfer to adjacent semiconductors or molecular catalysts. Geometric parameters such as particle size, shape and composition dictate the distribution of carrier energies, lifetimes and momentum anisotropy. Control over these dynamics enables tailored charge injection for photochemical reactions, enhanced photodetection and photovoltaic devices, and efficient solar-fuel generation. Recent advances in time-resolved spectroscopies and first-principles modelling have elucidated fundamental mechanisms, revealing the interplay between hot-carrier generation, transport and extraction at nano-heterointerfaces. Translation of these insights into practical systems has led to plasmonic photocatalysts capable of driving hydrogen evolution and selective oxidation, with potential applications spanning green energy production, environmental remediation and nanoscale optoelectronic circuitry.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies have demonstrated the direct use of plasmon-generated hot electrons for light-driven hydrogen evolution. By assembling a nanohybrid catalyst with gold nanoparticles coupled to a molecular catalyst layer, researchers limited thermal contributions and confirmed that hot electrons mediate rapid proton–electron transfer steps under visible illumination. In situ spectroscopies validated the mechanistic role of these carriers, establishing design principles for plasmonic photocatalytic systems. Parallel work on hot-hole dynamics at nano-heterointerfaces has clarified the extraction of energetic holes as oxidants. Investigation of metal–semiconductor junctions revealed asymmetric electron and hole transport, offering guidelines to optimise hole localisation at catalytic sites. Quantitative measurements in plasmonic Schottky diodes further separated the roles of plasmon excitation, carrier transport and interface injection, showing that ballistic electron motion in ultrathin films can yield high internal quantum efficiencies without significant thermal losses.

Plasmon-Induced Hot Carrier Dynamics in Nanostructured Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in plasmon-induced hot carrier dynamics in nanostructured materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR): collective oscillation of conduction electrons in a metallic nanoparticle induced by incident light.

Hot carrier: an electron or hole with energy significantly above the Fermi level, produced by non-radiative plasmon decay.

Nano-heterointerface: junction between different nanostructured materials that enables charge transfer and separation.

Electron–phonon coupling: interaction between electrons and lattice vibrations that governs carrier thermalisation.

Ballistic transport: motion of carriers across a material with minimal scattering, preserving initial energy and momentum.

Schottky junction: rectifying interface between a metal and a semiconductor, critical for hot-carrier collection and photodetection.

References

1. Hydrogen evolution with hot electrons on a plasmonic-molecular catalyst hybrid system. Nature Communications (2024).
2. Plasmon-induced hot-hole generation and extraction at nano-heterointerfaces for photocatalysis. Communications Materials (2021).
3. Transport and Interfacial Injection of d‑Band Hot Holes Control Plasmonic Chemistry. ACS Energy Letters (2023).
4. Quantifying the role of surface plasmon excitation and hot carrier transport in plasmonic devices. Nature Communications (2018).
5. Observation of Multi‐Directional Energy Transfer in a Hybrid Plasmonic–Excitonic Nanostructure. Advanced Materials (2023).
6. Phonon-Assisted Hot Carrier Generation in Plasmonic Semiconductor Systems. Nano Letters (2021).