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Research Interests

Large absorption cross-section and enhancement effects in plasmonic nanoparticles (NP) make them ideal candidates for various light harvesting studies, including artificial photosynthesis and photovoltaics. As a result, performing chemical transformations with plasmonic NPs as ‘sole photocatalysts’ is gaining enormous attention, leading to the emergence of a new area in catalysis called plasmonic photocatalysis. The versatility of chemical transformations using plasmonic NPs range from bond dissociation to organic reactions to industrially relevant redox reactions. At the heart of photocatalytic activity of plasmonic NPs is the generation of ‘hot’ charge carriers upon light illumination. However, due to the fast relaxation dynamics (10 fs- 1 ps) of hot charge carriers, the light energy is often dissipated in the form of heat. Consequently, there is a need to efficiently extract the charge carriers (within 1 ps) before thermalization, and this remains one of the major challenges in the area of plasmonic photocatalysis. My research interest lies in identifying the factors affecting the ‘sole’ plasmonic photocatalytic activity of NPs, and thereby develop strategies to enhance the efficiency of various chemical transformations. On a broader scale, there are two factors which dominate the photocatalytic events, a) hot charge carrier population and b) charge extraction/ transfer. We believe that our studies will provide impactful insights in tailoring new methodologies for the realization of plasmonic photocatalysis at the scaled-up level.

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