Issue 5, 2015

Schottky barrier and surface plasmonic resonance phenomena towards the photocatalytic reaction: study of their mechanisms to enhance photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Metals are doped on semiconductors to enhance the activity of photocatalysts and two possible phenomena can happen at the interfaces of the semiconductors: Schottky barrier formation and Surface Plasmonic Resonance (SPR). Schottky barriers can improve the photoactivity of a reaction by trapping and prolonging the life of the electron. While SPR has the ability to create an electromagnetic field which can improve the photoreaction in three ways: photon scattering, Plasmon Resonance Energy Transfer (PRET) and hot electron excitation. Although both phenomena have been well grounded throughout the field, one crucial ambiguity is still found based on the proposed mechanisms, specifically, what is the direction of electron flow – from metal to semiconductor or vice versa? This feature article reviews the mechanism focusing on how Schottky barrier and SPR phenomena help to improve a photoreaction, as well as the paradox between the Schottky barrier and SPR in the matter of the direction of electron flow in the metal/semiconductor system.

Graphical abstract: Schottky barrier and surface plasmonic resonance phenomena towards the photocatalytic reaction: study of their mechanisms to enhance photocatalytic activity

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
25 Nov 2014
Accepted
04 Jan 2015
First published
07 Jan 2015

Catal. Sci. Technol., 2015,5, 2522-2531

Author version available

Schottky barrier and surface plasmonic resonance phenomena towards the photocatalytic reaction: study of their mechanisms to enhance photocatalytic activity

M. R. Khan, T. W. Chuan, A. Yousuf, M. N. K. Chowdhury and C. K. Cheng, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2015, 5, 2522 DOI: 10.1039/C4CY01545B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements