Plasmon-Enhanced Photocurrent using Gold Nanoparticles on a Three-Dimensional TiO Nanowire-Web Electrode.

In this study, an anatase/rutile mixed-phase titanium dioxide (TiO) hierarchical network deposited with Au nanoparticles (Au/TiO ARHN) was synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method followed by a simple calcination step. Such a unique structure was designed for improving the light harvest, charge transportation/separation, and the performance of photo-electro-chemical (PEC) cells. The properties of the as-synthesized Au/TiO ARHN in PEC cells were investigated by electrochemical measurements using a three-electrode system in a 1 M NaOH electrolyte.

Plasmon-induced efficiency enhancement on dye-sensitized solar cell by a 3D TNW-AuNP layer.

A new 3D TNW-AuNP plasmonic electrode consists of antireflective (AR) TiO2 nanowires (TNWs) (∼600 nm thickness) serving as light-harvesting antennae coupling with Au nanoparticles (NPs). A huge red-shift of 55 nm is observed in surface plasmon spectra for the Au (11 nm) plasmonic electrode that has 11 nm size Au NPs, whereby (111) lattice planes have a specific bonding with the TiO2 (101) planes. Remarkable red-shift is mainly attributed to the localized electric field improvement resulting from the plasmonic coupling effect between the Au NPs and the Au-TiO2 hybrids.