Engineering Au-Based Plasmonic Bimetallic Nanostructures for Light-Enhanced Catalysis: From Hydrogen Evolution to CO₂ Methanation

Ibrahim Abdelsalam^a, Florian Rathmann^b, Shiqi Wang^a, Hugo Santos^a, Alexander Reznichenko^b, Matti Reinikainen^b, Pedro Camargo^a

^aDepartment of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 55, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

^bVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Kaitoväylä 1, FIN-90571 Oulu

Materials for Sustainable Development Conference (MATSUS)
Proceedings of MATSUS Fall 2026 Conference (MATSUSFall26)

E5 From Materials Innovation to Sustainable Photo-Assisted Electrochemical Systems

Palma, Spain, 2026 October 26th - 30th

Organizers: Teresa Gatti and Isabella Poli

Poster, Ibrahim Abdelsalam, 532
Publication date: 22nd July 2026

EBackground and aims

The transition to clean, renewable energy is a defining challenge of the 21st century, with green hydrogen emerging as a cornerstone of the next industrial revolution. As a high–energy–density fuel derived from water, hydrogen can transform sectors from transportation to chemical manufacturing.^[1,2] Achieving this potential requires electrocatalysts that efficiently couple plasmonic excitation with catalytic function. Plasmonic–catalytic nanostructures offer unique opportunities to integrate light harvesting with chemical transformations;^[1] however, their activity strongly depends on nanoscale morphology and metal–support interactions. This study aims to elucidate structure–function relationships in plasmon-enhanced hydrogen evolution and CO₂ methanation using well-defined AuPt nanowires and Au@Ru core–shell nanoparticles^[3,4]_.

Methods

AuPt nanowires were synthesized via co-reduction of Au using α-alphanol at 70 °C for 12 h, followed by Pt shell deposition at three controlled coverage levels to yield core–shell, monolayer, and submonolayer architectures. Au@Ru nanoparticles were produced by self-catalyzed reduction without external reducing agents, enabling tunable Ru shell thickness^[3,4].

Results

AuPt nanowires exhibited strong plasmonic enhancement in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), achieving 9.3 A mg^-1Pt, sevenfold higher than Pt/C. Au@Ru catalysts with discontinuous Ru shells (Au₆₀Ru₄₀) displayed a 390% activity increase under visible light compared to dark conditions and retained stability over 85 h^[3,4].

Conclusion

By correlating nanoscale architecture with photo-enhanced reactivity, this work demonstrates how tailored plasmonic–catalytic interfaces drive light-assisted hydrogen evolution and CO₂ methanation, advancing the rational design of catalysts for sustainable energy conversion.

References:

Acknowledgements:

This work was supported by the Research Council of Finland (decision no. 350208), the University of Helsinki, and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Facilities of the ALD center, Finland research infrastructure were used for XPS characterization. This work was supported by the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, the Academy of Finland (decision no. 334826), and Business Finland (Project 1715/31/2023).

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