TY - JOUR

T1 - Hyper-release regulation of localized surface plasmon resonance in tungsten oxide for efficient S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts

AU - Du, Minghe

AU - Yang, Songyu

AU - Zhang, Jianjun

AU - Syrtsov, Dmitrii A.

AU - Ghasemi, Jahan B.

AU - Fedin, Matvey V.

AU - Zhang, Liuyang

N1 - This work was financially supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFB3803600). This work was also supported by a joint project, the Russian Science Foundation (No. 24-43-00045) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22361132529). The authors also acknowledge the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52322214, 22238009, 52073223, 22278324, and 22361142704) and Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) under No. 4012775.

PY - 2026/2/1

Y1 - 2026/2/1

N2 - In transition metal oxides, introducing high concentrations of charge carriers can induce localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), akin to noble metals, thus broadening the photocatalyst's response spectrum. However, a lack of comprehensive theoretical understanding of LSPR limits its full exploitation in photocatalytic systems. In this study, we propose a strategy to regulate the hyper-release of LSPR in S-scheme heterojunctions. By leveraging Mie-Gans theory and hot electron transfer kinetics, we achieve a finely tuned balance between the trapping and release of LSPR-induced hot electrons through defect concentration optimization. Using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we distinguish LSPR-related signals in the infrared region and quantify the hot electron transfer efficiency in the heterojunction, providing compelling evidence for the hyper-release mechanism. An S-scheme heterojunction between monoclinic W18O49 and cubic CdS was constructed via an in-situ growth strategy without the use of noble metal co-catalysts, resulting in a composite that achieves an outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 3125 µmol h−1 g−1, outperforming conventional designs. This work not only offers fresh insights into the electron dynamics of the LSPR effect but also sets a benchmark for designing plasmonic-semiconductor hybrid systems, opening new horizons for sustainable energy conversion technologies.

AB - In transition metal oxides, introducing high concentrations of charge carriers can induce localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), akin to noble metals, thus broadening the photocatalyst's response spectrum. However, a lack of comprehensive theoretical understanding of LSPR limits its full exploitation in photocatalytic systems. In this study, we propose a strategy to regulate the hyper-release of LSPR in S-scheme heterojunctions. By leveraging Mie-Gans theory and hot electron transfer kinetics, we achieve a finely tuned balance between the trapping and release of LSPR-induced hot electrons through defect concentration optimization. Using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, we distinguish LSPR-related signals in the infrared region and quantify the hot electron transfer efficiency in the heterojunction, providing compelling evidence for the hyper-release mechanism. An S-scheme heterojunction between monoclinic W18O49 and cubic CdS was constructed via an in-situ growth strategy without the use of noble metal co-catalysts, resulting in a composite that achieves an outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 3125 µmol h−1 g−1, outperforming conventional designs. This work not only offers fresh insights into the electron dynamics of the LSPR effect but also sets a benchmark for designing plasmonic-semiconductor hybrid systems, opening new horizons for sustainable energy conversion technologies.

KW - Femtosecond transient absorption

KW - Localized surface plasmon resonance

KW - Mie-Gans theory

KW - Oxygen vacancy tuning

KW - S-scheme heterojunction

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007615543

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d652ad7f-f89e-348f-af02-512e46373ca6/

U2 - 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.05.016

DO - 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.05.016

M3 - Article

VL - 243

SP - 245

EP - 255

JO - Journal of Materials Science and Technology

JF - Journal of Materials Science and Technology

SN - 1005-0302

M1 - 21

ER -