Direct coating of gold nanolayers to enhance the oxidation resistance of copper nanowire flexible transparent conductive films.

Copper nanowire-based transparent conductive films have garnered extensive attention owing to their cost-effectiveness and comparable electrical properties. However, the inherent instability of copper nanowires (Cu NWs) has curtailed their extensive utility and applicability. Herein, we present durable Cu@Au NW/PET films exhibiting elevated photoelectric attributes and remarkable flexibility. After preparing Cu NWs, the purification operation allows the purity of the Cu NWs to reach about 98%. Subsequently, Cu@Au NWs/PET flexible transparent conductive films (FTCFs) were prepared through vacuum filtration of Cu NWs and direct treatment with chloroauric acid. The resulting Cu@Au NW-based FTCFs exhibit impressive attributes including a low sheet resistance of 30 ohms per square and a high optical transmittance of 90%, resulting in an exceptional figure of merit (FOM) of 99. Remarkably, the Cu@Au NWs/PET film showed remarkable flexibility, retaining its properties after 10 000 cycles of continuous bending. Stability assessments further affirm the sheet resistance of the Cu@Au NW FTCFs remains nearly unchanged over 75 days at ambient temperature. The strategic integration of a gold nanolayer, serving as a protective coating on the Cu NWs, yields substantial enhancements in both electrical conductivity and overall stability within the Cu NW FTCF architecture. Furthermore, the obtained Cu@Au NW films exhibit rapid heating capabilities, reaching a temperature of 67 °C within 30 seconds at 3.5 V and subsequently returning to room temperature at the same rate. In summary, the introduction of a Au protective layer can effectively enhance the oxidation resistance of Cu NWs, which has great application potential in FTCFs in the field of film heaters.

Plasmonic and catalytic Au NBP@AgPd nanoframes for highly efficient photocatalytic reactions.

Heterogeneous metal nanostructures with excellent plasmonic performance and catalytic activity are urgently needed to realize efficient light-driven catalysis. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of hollow Au nanobipyramid (NBP)@AgPd nanostructures by employing Au NBP@Ag nanorods as templates. The products could transform from Au NBP@AgPd nanoframes to nanocages, along with the redshift and broadening of the plasmon wavelength. Particularly, the plasmon intensity of these nanostructures remained considerable among the shape evolution process. Based on the selective absorption of CTAB, the Ag atoms on the side surfaces of the Au NBP@Ag nanorods were employed as the sacrificial templates to reduce Pd atoms through galvanic replacement. The reduced Pd and Ag atoms produced through the reduction reaction were preferably co-deposited on the corners and edges at the early stage and later deposited directly on the defect sites of the side facets, as more Ag atoms were released. The discontinued distribution of the Pd atoms gives an opportunity to etch away the Ag atoms in the cores, leading to the formation of hollow Au NBP@AgPd nanostructures after the etching process. It is worth noting that the deposition of the ultrathin AgPd nanoframe had little influence on the plasmonic properties of Au NBPs, as verified by electrodynamic simulations. The Au NBP@AgPd nanoframe showed great photocatalytic activity toward Suzuki coupling reactions under laser irradiation. Taken together, these results suggest that the hot electrons successfully transfer from Au NBP to the AgPd nanoframes to participate in the photocatalytic reactions. This study affords a promising route for the synthesis of anisotropic bimetallic nanostructures with excellent plasmonic performances.

Template-directed growth of Ag nanostructures: soft templates versus hard templates.

Hard template-directed growth methods present a compelling route for the synthesis of Ag nanostructures with precise size control. Meanwhile, soft template methods are effective and flexible for the synthesis of Ag nanostructures with various morphologies. However, the role of the soft template is ambiguous and obviously neglected in hard template-directed growth processes due to the strong confinement effect of the hard template, limiting the diversity of Ag nanostructures that can be obtained. Herein, we design Au nanoframes with deformable head structures as a hard template while using cetyltrimethylammonium chloride as a soft template, to direct the growth of Ag atoms on Au nanobipyramid seeds. When using the Au nanoframes with a closed head, the longitudinal growth of the Ag atoms is clearly limited by the hard template, leading to the formation of thick Ag nanorods with a five-fold twinned structure. The soft template starts to influence the growth process when the head structure of the Au nanoframes becomes hollow. In particular, the confinement effect of the hard template can be completely broken by selectively strengthening the role of the soft template, promoting the production of slender Ag nanorods similar to the results obtained in the absence of the hard template. Our results indicate that the morphology of the Ag nanostructures depends on the competition between the qualitatively confined energies of the hard and soft templates during the template-directed growth process. Moreover, this confined growth mechanism is also verified by the successful construction of various Ag nanostructures. The understanding of the collaborative competition mechanism between the soft and hard templates presents a great opportunity to construct novel Ag nanostructures through a template-directed method.

Porous Molybdenum Compound Design for Strong Microwave Absorption.

Exploring highly efficient microwave absorption (MA) materials with a facile preparation method is of great significance for tackling electromagnetic pollution and remains a challenge. Herein, ternary MoO2/Mo2C/Mo2N composites with porous structures are fabricated by a simple precursor pyrolysis process. The unique structure and multiple components, which could generate sufficient heterogeneous interfaces, are conducive to improve impedance matching, trigger polarization loss, and strengthen conduction loss. Profiting from the synergistic effect of multiple dissipation mechanisms, the composites exhibit exceedingly good MA performance. The minimum reflection loss value reaches -38.0 dB at 10.4 GHz when the thickness is 2.0 mm, and the maximum effective absorbing bandwidth is 4.11 GHz ranged from 12.41 to 16.52 GHz when the thickness is 1.5 mm. These strategies pave opportunities for rational design of Mo-related composites for high-efficiency electromagnetic-wave absorption performance.

Comparative Study on Preparation Methods for Transparent Conductive Films Based on Silver Nanowires.

Silver nanowires, which have high optoelectronic properties, have the potential to supersede indium tin oxide in the field of electrocatalysis, stretchable electronic, and solar cells. Herein, four mainstream experimental methods, including Mayer-rod coating, spin coating, spray coating, and vacuum filtration methods, are employed to fabricate transparent conductive films based on the same silver nanowires to clarify the significance of preparation methods on the performance of the films. The surface morphology, conductive property, uniformity, and flexible stability of these four Ag NW-based films, are analyzed and compared to explore the advantages of these methods. The transparent conductive films produced by the vacuum filtration method have the most outstanding performance in terms of surface roughness and uniformity, benefitting from the stronger welding of NW-NW junctions after the press procedure. However, limited by the size of the membrane and the vacuum degree of the equipment, the small-size Ag films used in precious devices are appropriate to obtain through this method. Similarly, the spin coating method is suited to prepare Ag NWs films with small sizes, which shows excellent stability after the bending test. In comparison, much larger-size films could be obtained through Mayer-rod coating and spray coating methods. The pull-down speed and force among the Mayer-rod coating process, as well as the spray distance and traveling speed among the spray coating process, are essential to the uniformity of Ag NW films. After being treated with NaBH4 and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), the obtained Ag NW/PMMA films show great potential in the field of film defogging due to the Joule heating effect. Taken together, based on the advantages of each preparation method, the Ag NW-based films with desired size and performances are easier to prepare, meeting the requirements of different application fields.

Gold nanobipyramids doped with Au/Pd alloyed nanoclusters for high efficiency ethanol electrooxidation.

Plasmonic metal nanostructures are of great interest due to their excellent physicochemical properties and promising applications in a wide range of technical fields. Among metal nanostructures, bimetallic nanostructures with desired morphologies, such as core-shell, uniform alloy and surface decoration, are of great interest due to their improved properties and superior synergetic effects. In this paper, Au/Pd nanoclusters were deposited on the surface of gold nanobipyramids (AuBPs) into a core-shell nanostructure (AuBP@Au x Pd1-x ) through a reductive co-precipitation method. The AuBP@Au x Pd1-x nanostructure integrates effectively the advantages of plasmonic AuBPs and catalytic Pd ultrafine nanoclusters, as well as the stable Au/Pd alloy shell. The AuBP@Au x Pd1-x nanostructure exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity and durability for oxygen reduction in alkaline media owing to the synergistic effect between the AuBP core and Au/Pd shell. Furthermore, the shell thickness of AuBP@Au x Pd1-x nanostructures can be adjusted by varying the amount of precursor. Overall, the catalytic activity of bimetallic Au/Pd catalysts is likely to be governed by a complex interplay of contributions from the particle size and shape.

Synthesis of Pd nanorod arrays on Au nanoframes for excellent ethanol electrooxidation.

Au-Pd hollow nanostructures have attracted a lot of attention because of their excellent ethanol electrooxidation performance. Herein, we report a facile preparation of Au nanoframe@Pd array electrocatalysts in the presence of cetylpyridinium chloride. The reduced Pd atoms were directed to mainly deposit on the surface of the Au nanoframes in the form of rods, leading to the formation of Au nanoframe@Pd arrays with a super-large specific surface area. The red shift and damping of the plasmon peak were ascribed to the deposition of the Pd arrays on the surface of the Au nanoframes and nanobipyramids, which was verified by electrodynamic simulations. Surfactants, temperature and reaction time determine the growth process and thereby the architecture of the obtained Au-Pd hollow nanostructures. Compared with the Au nanoframe@Pd nanostructures and Au nanobipyramid@Pd arrays, the Au nanoframe@Pd arrays exhibit an enhanced electrocatalytic performance towards ethanol electrooxidation due to an abundance of catalytic active sites. The Au NF@Pd arrays display 4.1 times higher specific activity and 13.7 times higher mass activity than the commercial Pd/C electrocatalyst. Moreover, the nanostructure shows improved stability towards the ethanol oxidation reaction. This study enriches the manufacturing technology to increase the active sites of noble metal nanocatalysts and promotes the development of direct ethanol fuel cells.

Self-powered ultraviolet photodetector based on an n-ZnO:Ga microwire/p-Si heterojunction with the performance enhanced by a pyro-phototronic effect.

In the present study, a heterojunction made of an individual ZnO microwire via Ga incorporation (ZnO:Ga MW) with a p-Si substrate was constructed to develop a self-powered ultraviolet photodetector. When operated under an illumination of 370 nm light with a power density of ∼ 0.5 mW/cm2, the device exhibited an excellent responsivity of 0.185 A/W, a large detectivity of 1.75×1012 Jones, and excellent stability and repeatability. The device also exhibited a high on/off photocurrent ratio up to 103, and a short rising and falling time of 499/412 µs. By integrating the pyro-phototronic effect, the maximum responsivity and detectivity increased significantly to 0.25 A/W and 2.30×1012 Jones, respectively. The response/recovery time was drastically reduced to 79/132 µs without an external power source. In addition, the effects of light wavelength, power density, and bias voltage on the photocurrent response mediated by the pyro-phototronic effect were systematically characterized and discussed. Our work not only provides an easy yet efficient procedure for constructing a self-powered ultraviolet photodetector but also broadens the application prospects for developing individual wire optoelectronic devices based on the photovoltaic-pyro-phototronic effect.

A novel deposition mechanism of Au on Ag nanostructures involving galvanic replacement and reduction reactions.

Combining a galvanic replacement reaction with a reduction reaction can provide more possibility in the synthesis of Au-Ag hollow nanostructures. However, the detailed atomic deposition mechanism involving these two reactions is unclear. Herein, we proposed a novel deposition mechanism of the Au atoms on Ag nanostructures involving simultaneous galvanic replacement and reduction reactions. The Au atoms originating from galvanic replacement reaction will deposit at surface energy-related facets of the Ag nanostructures while the others originated from reduction reaction at high curvature sites, with the morphology of the final Ag@Au nanostructures determined by the ratio between the two reactions. This mechanism has been verified by experiments on Ag nanorods using varied volumes of Au precursor. Moreover, it can also be extended to Ag cuboctahedrons, suggesting the generality of this mechanism.

PET/Ag NW/PMMA transparent electromagnetic interference shielding films with high stability and flexibility.

Flexible transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials in visual windows are essential for the innovation of optoelectronic devices. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of flexible EMI shielding films based on silver nanowires (Ag NWs) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The purified Ag NWs are uniform in size and morphology, with aspect ratio over 1000. The PET/Ag NW/PMMA flexible transparent conductive films (FTCFs) with a sandwich structure were obtained via Mayer-rod coating of the Ag NWs and spin-coating of the PMMA polymer on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The root mean square roughness value of PET/Ag NW/PMMA FTCFs could decrease from 21 nm to 4 nm due to the filling of PMMA in the interface among Ag NWs. The PET/Ag NW/PMMA FTCFs can achieve a sheet resistance of 21 Ω sq-1 at a transmittance of 95.6%, resulting in a high figure of merit of 447. Moreover, the composite films exhibit remarkable flexibility after 10 000 continuous bending cycles, as well as great stability in harsh environments of 80 °C/80% RH aging for 600 h. An EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 21.3 dB in combination with a high optical transmittance of 95.6% for the PET/Ag NW/PMMA FTCFs is sufficient to satisfy the requirement of commercial transparent EMI shielding applications. The absorption component of the SE was demonstrated to play a dominant role in the EMI shielding mechanism. The comprehensive performance (flexibility, stability, transparency and EMI shielding performance) makes the PET/Ag NW/PMMA FTCFs have great potential as a flexible transparent EMI shielding material in emerging flexible optoelectronic devices.

Au nanobipyramids with Pt decoration enveloped in TiO2 nanoboxes for photocatalytic reactions.

Noble metal nanocrystals and core-shell nanocomposites have attracted particular interest due to their unique optical properties originating from surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and wide applications related to the SPR effect. In this work, we designed and fabricated a new Au-Pt@TiO2 nanocomposite, in which Au nanobipyramids (AuNBPs) decorated with platinum (Pt) clusters were enveloped in mesoporous TiO2 nanoboxes with nanocavities. AuNBPs provide strong SPR absorption and localized field enhancement restricted to the cavities of TiO2 nanoboxes. The Pt nanoclusters decorated on the surface of AuNBPs can effectively modulate the charge movement and energy transfer in the photocatalytic process. The enhanced electric field provides a local thermal effect for the photocatalytic reaction and promotes the injection process of hot electrons which facilitates carrier separation. The nanoboxes with nanocavities can effectively manage the usage of localized energy and provide space for reaction. Under the cooperative effects, the photocatalytic performance was remarkably improved along with durability and stability. For the AuNBP-Pt@TiO2 nanoboxes, the rhodamine-B degradation efficiency was ∼6.5 times that of AuNBP@TiO2 nanoboxes. The mechanism of the photocatalysis process was proposed based on experimental results and simulations. Benefiting from the excellent structure and properties, the obtained nanostructure is a promising candidate in the fields of pollutant degradation and chemical reaction catalysis.

Plasmonic O2 dissociation and spillover expedite selective oxidation of primary C-H bonds.

Manipulating O2 activation via nanosynthetic chemistry is critical in many oxidation reactions central to environmental remediation and chemical synthesis. Based on a carefully designed plasmonic Ru/TiO2-x catalyst, we first report a room-temperature O2 dissociation and spillover mechanism that expedites the "dream reaction" of selective primary C-H bond activation. Under visible light, surface plasmons excited in the negatively charged Ru nanoparticles decay into hot electrons, triggering spontaneous O2 dissociation to reactive atomic ˙O. Acceptor-like oxygen vacancies confined at the Ru-TiO2 interface free Ru from oxygen-poisoning by kinetically boosting the spillover of ˙O from Ru to TiO2. Evidenced by an exclusive isotopic O-transfer from 18O2 to oxygenated products, ˙O displays a synergistic action with native ˙O2 - on TiO2 that oxidizes toluene and related alkyl aromatics to aromatic acids with extremely high selectivity. We believe the intelligent catalyst design for desirable O2 activation will contribute viable routes for synthesizing industrially important organic compounds.

Gold nanobipyramid-embedded silver-platinum hollow nanostructures for monitoring stepwise reduction and oxidation reactions.

Metal hollow nanostructures based on gold nanobipyramids (Au NBPs) are of great interest for the combination of tunable plasmonic resonances and excellent physicochemical properties. Based on the core-shell Au NBP@Ag nanorods with desired sizes, herein we reported the synthesis and growth mechanism of Au NBP-embedded AgPt hollow nanostructures with tunable thickness and size. The Au NBP@AgPt nanoframes were obtained at lower temperature, in which cetyltrimethylammonium bromine (CTAB) was applied as a capping agent to guide the deposition of Pt atoms on the edges and corners of Au NBPs@Ag nanorods. With the increase of reaction temperature, the Au NBP@AgPt nanoframes convert into nanocages due to the atomic migration to the surfaces. The surface plasmon resonance of the Au NBP@AgPt hollow nanostructure shifts from red to blue, which is ascribed to the changes in coverage area and location site of the AgPt alloy. When CTAB was replaced by cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), Au NBP@AgPt nanocages dominate the product. The surface roughness and thickness of the nanocages can be controlled by the temperature and the amount of Pt precursor. Moreover, Au NBP@AgPt hollow nanostructures show excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering and exhibit remarkable stability in harsh environments. Taking into account the advantages of the plasmonic property (Au NBPs), catalytic activity (Pt) and plasmon-enhanced signal (Ag), the Au NBP@AgPt hollow nanostructures are a promising candidate for technological applications in catalytic reactions.

(Gold triangular nanoplate core)@(silver shell) nanostructures as highly sensitive and selective plasmonic nanoprobes for hydrogen sulfide detection.

Hydrogen sulfide plays a significant role in living beings, while its abnormal concentration is related to many diseases. Besides, H2S gas is harmful to human beings and the environment. The detection of H2S has therefore attracted much attention in the past several decades. Herein, highly sensitive and selective H2S plasmonic nanoprobes (gold triangular nanoplate core)@(silver shell) (AuTNP@Ag) are reported. By virtue of the high refractive index sensitivity of Au TNPs to the surrounding medium and facile sulfurization of silver by sulfur ions, AuTNP@Ag exhibits great sensitivity to both sulfur ions and H2S gas. The shifts of the plasmon peak are as large as 16 nm for the ventilation of 1 ppm hydrogen sulfide. AuTNP@Ag nanoprobes also exhibit very good sensing linearity at low concentrations of sulfur ions. Moreover, excellent sensing selectivity for sulfur ions is obtained. A type of test gel, which can produce a naked-eye observable color change when exposed to 1-100 ppm hydrogen sulfide gas, is developed using AuTNP@Ag nanoprobes. Owing to the high sensitivity, linearity, and selectivity of the Au TNP@Ag nanoprobes for hydrogen sulfide sensing, this work paves the way for the plasmonic detection of hydrogen sulfide in both biological and environmental applications.

Highly efficient and stable transparent electromagnetic interference shielding films based on silver nanowires.

Transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with high optical transmittance and outstanding shielding effectiveness (SE) for optoelectronic devices in visual windows are urgently needed. Herein, we demonstrate the preparation of a transparent EMI shielding film based on silver nanowires (Ag NWs) via a facile Mayer-rod coating method. The electrical conductivity and transmittance of Ag NW-based films can be greatly improved through treatment with NaBH4 and the lamination of poly(diallyldimethyl-ammonium chloride). The coverage of the polymer decreases the surface roughness, with no damage on the uniform mesh of the Ag NWs. The Ag NW/PDDA composite films present a sheet resistance of 22 Ω sq-1 at a transmittance of 95.5%, better than that of commercial indium tin oxide (ITO). The excellent optoelectrical performance of the Ag NW/PDDA composite film is further ascertained by fitting the transmittance with the resistance, with a figure of merit of 443. The Ag NW/PDDA composite films in this study exhibit greatly improved stability during 25 °C/65% RH aging for 35 days with the assistance of the coverage layer. Moreover, the EMI SE of the Ag NW/PDDA composite films is 28 dB on average at a transmittance of 91.3%, and continuously increases to 31.3 dB while the optical transmittance is still maintained at 86.8%, which is superior to those of most reported transparent EMI shielding materials. Taken together, the excellent optical transmittance and EMI shielding performance of the Ag NW/PDDA composite film make it an outstanding transparent EMI shielding material in optoelectronic devices, such as aerospace equipment, medical devices, communication facilities, and electronic displays.

Dielectric function modelling and sensitivity forecast for Au-Ag alloy nanostructures.

Plasmonic metal nanostructures are promising for chemical and biological sensor applications due to their high spectral sensitivity, defined as the relative shift in resonance wavelength with respect to the refractive index changes of the surroundings. In this work, the refractive index sensitivity (RI sensitivity) of one kind of core-shell nanostructure was studied, in which the gold nanobipyramid (AuBP) core was sheltered by the Au-Ag alloy shell. We investigated the dependence of the RI sensitivity and the figure of merit (FOM) of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) on the geometry and the composition of the nanostructures. Theoretical consideration on the LSPR revealed that the RI sensitivity of the nanostructures is determined by the bulk plasma wavelength, dielectric properties of the alloy and the geometrical parameters. To quantitatively explore the dependence of the RI sensitivity on the metal compositions and the aspect ratios of the nanostructures, the frequency-related dielectric properties of the alloy were calculated using the Drude-critical points model (DCPM). Then the calculated dielectric data were applied in the finite difference time domain (FDTD) solutions to simulate the optical spectra of the alloy nanostructures with various Ag concentrations. Experimentally, a series of fabrication processes were also carried out for the growth of a homogeneous Au-Ag alloy nanoshell on the surface of AuBPs using a wet-chemical method. The measured RI sensitivities agree well with the values predicted from FDTD simulations, indicating the availability, credibility and feasibility of the modelled dielectric data of the alloy. The DCPM and FDTD simulations can be combined to calculate the dielectric properties and forecast the sensitivity properties of the Au-Ag alloyed nanostructures with varying concentrations.

Biosynthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Using Yeast Extract as Reducing and Capping Agents.

Biosynthesis for the preparation of antimicrobial silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) is a green method without the use of cytotoxic reducing and surfactant agents. Herein, shape-controlled and well-dispersed Ag NPs were biosynthesized using yeast extract as reducing and capping agents. The synthesized Ag NPs exhibited a uniform spherical shape and fine size, with an average size of 13.8 nm. The biomolecules of reductive amino acids, alpha-linolenic acid, and carbohydrates in yeast extract have a significant role in the formation of Ag NPs, which was proved by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. In addition, amino acids on the surface of Ag NPs carry net negative charges which maximize the electrostatic repulsion interactions in alkaline solution, providing favorable stability for more than a year without precipitation. The Ag NPs in combination treatment with ampicillin reversed the resistance in ampicillin-resistant E. coli cells. These monodispersed Ag NPs could be a promising alternative for the disinfection of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains, and they showed negligible cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility toward Cos-7 cells.

Gold nanobipyramid-embedded ultrathin metal nanoframes for in situ monitoring catalytic reactions.

Metal nanoframes, especially ultrathin ones, with excellent plasmonic properties are synthetically interesting and highly attractive. Herein we report on the synthesis of Au nanobipyramid-embedded ultrathin metal nanoframes with one of the plasmon modes very similar to that of the Au nanobipyramids. The synthesis is mediated by silver coating on Au nanobipyramids. The excellent plasmonic properties of the Au nanobipyramid-embedded ultrathin metal nanoframes are ascribed to the little influence of the ultrathin metal nanoframes on the Au nanobipyramids, as verified by electrodynamic simulations. The increase in the amount of the added metal atoms changes the nanostructure from the nanoframe to a nanocage shape. The method has also been successfully applied to (Au nanobipyramid)@Ag nanorods with different lengths and Au nanobipyramids with different longitudinal dipolar plasmon wavelengths, suggesting the generality of our approach. We have further shown that the Au nanobipyramid-embedded ultrathin metal nanoframes possess an excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering and outstanding in situ reaction probing performance. Our study opens up a route for the construction of plasmonic ultrathin metal nanoframes based on Au nanobipyramids for plasmon-enabled applications.

Electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation enabled by surface plasmon polariton-induced hot carriers in Kretschmann configuration.

Plasmonic hot carrier generation has attracted increasing attention due to its ability to convert light to electrical energy. The generation of plasmon-induced hot carriers can be achieved via Landau damping in the non-radiative decay process of the plasmonic excitation energy. Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) undergo both radiative and non-radiative decays, while surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) dissipate only via the non-radiative decay. Thus, it is a challenging task to exploit the surface plasmon polaritons for the efficient generation of hot carriers and their applications. In this study, a model hot-carrier-mediated electrocatalytic conversion system was demonstrated using an Au thin film in Kretschmann configuration, which is the representative platform to excite SPPs. AgPt-decorated Au nanobipyramids (AuNBPs) were designed and introduced onto the Au film, creating hot-spots to revolutionize the thin film-based photon-to-carrier conversion efficiency. The glycerol electro-oxidation reaction enabled by such SPP-induced hot carriers was evaluated and exhibited a photon-to-hot carrier conversion efficiency of 2.4 × 10-3%, which is ∼2.5 times enhanced as compared to the efficiency based on the neat Au film.

Titania-Coated Gold Nano-Bipyramids for Blocking Autophagy Flux and Sensitizing Cancer Cells to Proteasome Inhibitor-Induced Death.

Targeting protein degradation is recognized as a valid approach to cancer therapy. The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosome pathway are two major pathways for intracellular protein degradation. Proteasome inhibitors such as bortezomib are clinically approved for treating malignancies, but to date, they are still unsatisfactory for cancer therapy. This study identifies titania-coated gold nano-bipyramid (NBP/TiO2) nanostructures as an autophagic flux inhibitor, as the smallest NBP/TiO2 nanostructures induce significant autophagosome accumulation in human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells via blocking the autophagosome-lysosome fusion process and inhibiting lysosomal degradation. Further study indicates that NBP/TiO2 nanostructures reduce the intracellular level of mature cathepsin B and directly inhibit the proteolytic activity of cathepsin B, thereby further inhibiting trypsin-like proteolytic activity, which is a potential cotarget for UPS inhibition. NBP/TiO2 nanostructures interact synergistically with bortezomib to suppress the viability of U-87 MG cells, as the combined treatment synergistically induces the intracellular accumulation of ubiquitinated protein and endoplasmic reticulum stress. In addition, photothermal therapy further synergistically reduces the cell viability. In summary, this study suggests that NBP/TiO2 nanostructures function as a promising anticancer agent in combination with proteasome inhibitors.