Berlin 2018 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 67: Electronic structure of surfaces: Spectroscopy, surface states III

O 67.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 15:30–15:45, MA 042

Light-molecule interactions in plasmonic environments — •Emiliano Cortes — Physics Department, Imperial College London, UK

Unravelling the interaction of single molecules with plasmonic interfaces sets the basis for plasmonic chemistry. Enhanced electric fields, energetic (hot) electron-hole pairs and abrupt thermal gradients, build up a complex scenario for molecules sitting next to a metal nanoparticle illuminated at visible wavelengths. However, at the same time, this combination offers all the necessary ingredients to manipulate photochemical reactions and ultimately revolutionize the electromagnetic-into-chemical energy conversion processes. In this context, single molecule and/or single nanoparticle approaches, even being methodologically challenging, should reduce the complexity of the problem allowing to explore, rationalize and optimize energy transfer pathways in these systems. Here, I will show a range of examples where the energy confinement achieved by plasmonic nanoparticles has been further employed to in-situ monitor, guide or induce charge-transfer processes at the single molecule and/or the single nanoparticle level. Using light to study, enhance and drive chemical reactions, beyond the traditional photochemistry or photocatalysis fields, is now possible thanks to plasmonic chemistry.