UC Berkeley

In this perspective we compare plasmon-enhanced electrochemical conversion (PEEC) with photoelectrochemistry (PEC). PEEC is the oxidation or reduction of a reactant at the illuminated surface of a plasmonic metal (or other conductive material) while a potential bias is applied. PEC uses solar light to generate photoexcited electron-hole pairs to drive an electrochemical reaction at a biased or unbiased semiconductor photoelectrode. The mechanism of photoexcitation of charge carriers is different between PEEC and PEC. Here we explore how this difference affects the response of PEEC and PEC systems to changes in light, temperature, and surface morphology of the photoelectrode.