Taking the Heat Off of Plasmonic Chemistry

Several chemical reactions catalyzed by plasmonic nanoparticles show enhanced rates under visible-light-excitation of the localized surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles. But it has been argued that there is an associated photothermal effect that can complicate the analysis and/or interpretation of the nature of the role played by plasmon excitation. This Viewpoint discusses this dilemma and provides some best practices for accounting for photothermal contributions in plasmon-excitation-driven chemistry. A classification of plasmonic chemistry into plasmonic photocatalysis and plasmonic photosynthesis is also proposed. It is argued that photosynthetic reactions, which require a Gibb's free energy input, constitute an ultimate test of the non-thermal, photochemical action of plasmon excitation.