Toward Plasmon-Induced Photoexcitation of Molecules

This Perspective describes studies aimed at effective excitation of molecules by localized surface plasmon polaritons. Recently developed bottom-up and top-down techniques allow the controlled fabrication of well-defined metal structures exhibiting desirable localization of plasmon energy. Under certain conditions, molecules display unique florescence and Raman scattering behavior in such localized fields, suggesting selective resonant excitation of specific electronic/vibrational modes. Finally, several examples of improvements in the efficiencies of photochemical and photoelectrochemcal systems are briefly discussed to find a way to overcome challenges for enhancement of photoenergy conversion in future.