Congratulations to new CMRI lecturer Changxu Liu whose work ‘Transformation-Optics-Designed Plasmonic Singularities for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution at Metal/Semiconductor Interfaces’ has been published in ACS Nano Letters. In this study, Changxu and his team applied transformation optics design concepts to utilise solar radiation for splitting water into hydrogen which has previously been identified as an alternative to fossil fuels. The results of this study present a potential pathway to clean and renewable energy.
Changxu explains the importance of this work in more detail below:
We have successfully created a 3D nanostructured metaparticle that enhances the utilization of hot electrons in photocatalysis for hydrogen production. Our design incorporates the principles of transform optics, allowing us to create a geometric singularity. This singularity aligns the optical hotspots with the active sites for the chemical reaction, optimizing the efficiency of the process.
