Photoelectrochemical water splitting from plasmonic nanostructures

For sustainability, the development of new energy sources that do not produce carbon-based waste chemicals is crucial. Promising one is hydrogen, as combustion in atmospheric conditions only produces water. Currently, hydrogen production through water splitting has great potential. As there are many ways to perform it, solar-assisted electrocatalytic reaction could be one of the agenda items. Its ultimate goal is to efficiently perform the water-splitting process without external energy input, utilizing sunlight; however, its efficiency is a matter of controversy. From this perspective, the introduction of plasmonic materials is attractive, as there are many physical paths to maximize the efficiency of this process. To achieve this, a thorough understanding of plasmon resonance and the physical interactions between plasmons and semiconductors is required in advance. This review provides an in-depth look at these aspects, detailing methods for maximizing them, and not omitting the latest results. In this scope, we believe this review will be of great help to novices and experts in this field.