Flowing of Plasmon Energy at the Interface of Non-Isotropic Hybrid Plasmonic Nanostructures

Abstract Precise analysis and control of the plasmon energy characteristics of plasmonic hybrid nanostructures is a prerequisite for designing efficient plasmon-mediated chemical reaction (PMCR) catalysts. However, the absence of critical vectorial information (transfer direction) in traditional analytical methods leads to difficulty in explaining the actual transfer directions and dissipation mechanisms of plasmon energy within hybrid structures. Herein, both the vectorial information (direction) and instantaneous state parameters (distribution and intensity) of the plasmon energy in special nonisotropic Au@Pt–Pd end-coating nanostructures (Au@Pt–Pd ECNs) were successfully verified using the Poynting theorem. The plasmon energy flows along the interface of the Au@Pt–Pd ECNs from the Au to the Pt–Pd alloy dendrites and dissipates in the form of energetic charge carriers to effectively promote the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation reaction. This work lays a meaningful foundation for an in-depth understanding of the plasmon energy distribution and transport direction in hybrid plasmonic nanostructures.