Plasmon-enhanced unidirectional charge transfer for efficient solar water oxidation

Precise modulation and nano-engineering of photoelectrochemical (PEC) materials, with high-speed charge separation efficiency and broad spectral response, are of significant importance in improving the PEC catalytic activities. Herein, by rational design of material structures, 3D-coaxial plasmonic hetero-nanostructures (carbon cloth@TiO2@SrTiO3-Au, CC@TiO2@SrTiO3-Au) are tactfully fabricated, which exhibit superior solar energy conversion efficiency in PEC water splitting with a current density reaching up to 23.56 mA cm-2 (1.23 V vs. RHE). More specific research and in-depth simulations reveal that the enhanced PEC performance should be attributed to the high-speed charge transfer channels of CC@TiO2@SrTiO3 and excellent light utilization ability stemming from the surface plasmon resonance and strong light-scattering of the 3D-coaxial frameworks. This study provides new strategies for the design of plasmon-enhanced PEC nanocatalysts and will benefit the development of photoelectric energy conversion.