Metal and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for Photoelectrochemical Materials and Devices

We have developed three types of photoelectrochemical nanomaterials and devices based on metal and/or semiconducting metal oxide nanoparticles for effective use of light energy. Photocatalysts with oxidative energy storage abilities were developed by coupling a photocatalyst with a rechargeable metal oxide or metal hydroxide nanomaterial to address an issue that TiO2 photocatalyst does not function after dark. Plasmonic metal nanoparticle ensembles were thermally and/or chemically stabilized by using a metal oxide nanomask or ultrathin metal oxide coating and applied to localized surface plasmon resonance sensors and photovoltaic cells based on the plasmon-induced charge separation. Organic and organic-inorganic hybrid photoelectrodes were also developed to give photocurrents enhanced by optimally arranged plasmonic metal nanoantennas. (C) The Electrochemical Society of Japan, All rights reserved.