Hierarchical iron molybdate nanostructure array for efficient water oxidation through optimizing electron density

We report the tuning of the iron molybdate electron structure via a coupled interface between the catalytic centers and substrate. The developed FeMoO4 catalysts can provide a 50 mA cm−2 current density at 1.506 V vs. RHE with excellent stability.

Controlling the Growth Locations of Ag Nanoparticles at Nanoscale by Shifting LSPR Hotspots

Controlling chemical reactions by plasma is expected to be a new method for improving the structural properties of substrates. An Au nanojar array was prepared when Au was deposited onto a 2D polystyrene (PS) array. The site-selective chemical growth of Ag nanoparticle rings was realized around the Au nanojar necks by a local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-assisted chemical reaction. The catalytic hotspots in the nanostructure array could be controlled by both etching the nanojars and Au or TiO2 sputtering onto the nanojars, which were confirmed by the growth sites of the Ag nanoparticle in the LSPR-assisted chemical reaction. The structure of the nanojars and the electric field distributions of the growing nanoparticles were simulated and analyzed using Finite-Difference Time-Domain. FDTD simulations showed that the changes in the nanojar shape led to the changed hotspot distributions. At the same time, tracking the hotspot shifts in the process of structural change was also achieved by the observation of Ag growth. Nanoarray structure prepared by LSPR-assisted chemical reaction is one of the hot fields in current research and is also of great significance for the application of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

A review of 2D and 3D plasmonic nanostructure array patterns: fabrication, light management and sensing applications

This review article discusses progress in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) chip-based nanostructure array patterns. Recent advancements in fabrication techniques for nano-arrays have endowed researchers with tools to explore a material’s plasmonic optical properties. In this review, fabrication techniques including electron-beam lithography, focused-ion lithography, dip-pen lithography, laser interference lithography, nanosphere lithography, nanoimprint lithography, and anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template-based lithography are introduced and discussed. Nano-arrays have gained increased attention because of their optical property dependency (light-matter interactions) on size, shape, and periodicity. In particular, nano-array architectures can be tailored to produce and tune plasmonic modes such as localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), surface plasmon polariton (SPP), extraordinary transmission, surface lattice resonance (SLR), Fano resonance, plasmonic whispering-gallery modes (WGMs), and plasmonic gap mode. Thus, light management (absorption, scattering, transmission, and guided wave propagation), as well as electromagnetic (EM) field enhancement, can be controlled by rational design and fabrication of plasmonic nano-arrays. Because of their optical properties, these plasmonic modes can be utilized for designing plasmonic sensors and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors.