How hot are plasmonic hotspots? Probing the chemical reactivity of plasmonic nanoparticles with electrons

Solutions based on renewable sources of energy are urgently needed, not just in the transportation sector but also in the chemical industry, where numerous products we rely on are produced. This project addresses how plasmonic nanoparticles can be the vehicles for efficiently harvesting sun light to fuel chemical reactions. It tackles the ultimate challenge of visualizing and quantifying complex photochemical processes live and on the atomic level, by constituting a transmission electron microscope (TEM) as the chamber where both gases and light can be injected. If successful, it will give unprecedented insight into the role of thermal and non-thermal processes in plasmon-mediated chemical reactions and contribute to the design of structures with optimal photo-reactivity.