Impact of bimetallic interface design on heat generation in plasmonic Au/Pd nanostructures studied by single-particle thermometry

The conversion of light into heat is a key process for plasmonic-catalytic applications. Here, the authors investigate how the design of the bimetallic interface affects the photothermal heating properties in Au/Pd nanostructures by applying thermometry at the single-particle level. Localized surface plasmons are lossy and generate heat. However, accurate measurement of the temperature of metallic nanoparticles under illumination remains an open challenge, creating difficulties in the interpretation of results across plasmonic applications. Particularly, there is a quest for understanding the role of temperature in plasmon-assisted catalysis. Bimetallic nanoparticles combining plasmonic with catalytic metals are raising increasing interest in artificial photosynthesis and the production of solar fuels. Here, we perform single-particle thermometry measurements to investigate the link between morphology and light-to-heat conversion of colloidal Au/Pd nanoparticles with two different configurations: core-shell and core-satellite. It is observed that the inclusion of Pd as a shell strongly reduces the photothermal response in comparison to the bare cores, while the inclusion of Pd as satellites keeps photothermal properties almost unaffected. These results contribute to a better understanding of energy conversion processes in plasmon-assisted catalysis.

Automated summary

The authors investigate the influence of bimetallic interface design on the photothermal properties of Au/Pd nanostructures. Measurements using thermometry at the single-particle level show that the inclusion of Pd as a shell significantly reduces the photothermal response compared to bare cores, while including Pd as satellites has minimal effect. These results provide insights into the energy conversion processes in plasmon-assisted catalysis.