Near‐Infrared‐Plasmonic Energy Upconversion in a Nonmetallic Heterostructure for Efficient H2 Evolution from Ammonia Borane

Plasmonic metal nanostructures have been widely used to enhance the upconversion efficiency of the near‐infrared (NIR) photons into the visible region via the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. However, the direct utilization of low‐cost nonmetallic semiconductors to both concentrate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Advanced science 2018-09, Vol.5 (9), p.n/a
Main Authors: Zhang, Zhenyi, Liu, Yang, Fang, Yurui, Cao, Baosheng, Huang, Jindou, Liu, Kuichao, Dong, Bin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Communication
Communications
H2 evolution
lanthanide ions
plasmonic semiconductors
upconversion luminescence
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Summary:Plasmonic metal nanostructures have been widely used to enhance the upconversion efficiency of the near‐infrared (NIR) photons into the visible region via the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. However, the direct utilization of low‐cost nonmetallic semiconductors to both concentrate and transfer the NIR‐plasmonic energy in the upconversion system remains a significant challenge. Here, a fascinating process of NIR‐plasmonic energy upconversion in Yb3+/Er3+‐doped NaYF4 nanoparticles (NaYF4:Yb‐Er NPs)/W18O49 nanowires (NWs) heterostructures, which can selectively enhance the upconversion luminescence by two orders of magnitude, is demonstrated. Combined with theoretical calculations, it is proposed that the NIR‐excited LSPR of W18O49 NWs is the primary reason for the enhanced upconversion luminescence of NaYF4:Yb‐Er NPs. Meanwhile, this plasmon‐enhanced upconversion luminescence can be partly absorbed by the W18O49 NWs to re‐excite its higher energy LSPR, thus leading to the selective enhancement of upconversion luminescence for the NaYF4:Yb‐Er/W18O49 heterostructures. More importantly, based on this process of plasmonic energy transfer, an NIR‐driven catalyst of NaYF4:Yb‐Er NPs@W18O49 NWs quasi‐core/shell heterostructure, which exhibits a ≈35‐fold increase in the catalytic H2 evolution from ammonia borane (BH3NH3) is designed and synthesized. This work provides insight on the development of nonmetallic plasmon‐sensitized optical materials that can potentially be applied in photocatalysis, optoelectronic, and photovoltaic devices. Nonmetallic plasmon‐induced selective enhancement of upconversion luminescence is observed in a layer‐structured NaYF4:Yb‐Er/W18O49 film due to the near‐infrared‐plasmonic energy upconversion. Based on this photonics process, an infrared‐driven plasmonic catalyst of NaYF4:Yb‐Er@W18O49 heterostructures is designed and synthesized, which exhibits a ≈35‐fold increase in catalytic H2 evolution upon IR excitation.
ISSN:2198-3844
2198-3844
DOI:10.1002/advs.201800748