Harnessing infrared solar energy with plasmonic energy upconversion

Solar radiation is the most abundant renewable energy source, however, its overall utilization remains inefficient as half of the energy is in the form of infrared (IR) light, which cannot be harnessed due to its low energy. Upconversion (UC) is an effective means of converting IR radiation to high-energy light. Here, we show a plasmonic CuS/CdS heterostructured semiconductor that can generate energy comparable to that of visible light from IR radiation, with a high efficiency of up to 5.1%. The unique charge dynamics of this system lead to efficient carrier transfer and long-lived charge separation. As a result, photocatalytic coupled redox reactions occur, including oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde and hydrogen evolution, with activities maintained over one week. This work demonstrates the promise of plasmonic UC for utilizing sustainable energy from low-flux IR light. More efficient use of solar energy can help the transition to a sustainable energy system. Here the authors show that a plasmonic CuS/CdS heterostructure can convert infrared radiation to visible light, driving oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, with stable activities for one week.

Automated summary

Solar radiation is an abundant renewable energy source, but its utilization efficiency is low due to the presence of infrared light. This study demonstrates a plasmonic copper sulfide/cadmium sulfide heterostructure that can efficiently convert infrared radiation into visible light, enabling photocatalytic reactions with stable activities for one week.