Towards plasmon-assisted artificial photosynthesis

Spurred by outstanding optical properties, plasmonic nanoparticles efficiently harvest light over a visible spectral range, making them a convenient catalyst in reduction and oxidation reactions. The project focuses at the wet-chemistry synthesis of a hybrid colloidal system comprising metallic core and conjugated polymer shell of enhanced light-harvesting capacity and its application in the plasmon-assisted photoregeneration of biomolecules, such as cofactors. The student will get familiar with the state-of-the-art colloidal synthesis, optical characterization and photocatalysis.