Electrostatic Force Microscopy Study of Single Au-CdSe Hybrid Nanodumbbells: Evidence for Light-Induced Charge Separation

Electrostatic force microscopy is used to study light-induced charging in single hybrid Au-CdSe nanodumbbells. Upon illumination, nanodumbbells show negative charging, which is in contrast with CdSe rods and Au particles that show positive charging. This different behavior is attributed to charge separation in the nanodumbbells, where after excitation the electron is transferred to the gold tips and the hole is subsequently filled through tunneling interactions with the substrate. The process of light-induced charge separation at the metal-semiconductor interface is key for the photocatalytic activity of such hybrid metal-semiconductor nanostructures.