Combining plasmonics and electrochemistry at the nanoscale

Plasmonics has recently come into focus as a very promising technology for high-performance photocatalysis. The hot charge carriers together with the enhanced electric field generated by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) excitation are responsible for the enhanced performance of photocatalysis. Up to now, much work including theoretical and experimental researches has been performed to investigate the plasmon-related enhancement mechanism. Combining plasmonics and electrochemistry at the nanoscale emerges as a new challenge for further widening the application of plasmonic effect. This review summarizes the fundamental principle of LSPR, the mechanism of plasmon-enhanced electrochemistry, and the different electrochemical reactions activated by plasmonics.