Chiral plasmonic nanocatalysts for enhanced CO2 methanation activity and selectivity via polarized photogenerated hot carriers
New plasmonic catalyst design achieves over 95% selectivity for solar-driven CO₂ methanation, offering a sustainable path for fuel production and carbon neutrality
image: Schematic illustration of chiral plasmonic nanorods (HPNR@SiO₂) converting CO₂ to CH₄ under circularly polarized light. The matched chirality of light and catalyst enhances hot-electron generation and suppresses H₂ evolution, leading to high methane selectivity.
Credit: Nano Research, Tsinghua University Press
The urgent need to reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels and produce sustainable fuels has driven research into photocatalytic CO₂ conversion. However, achieving high selectivity for valuable products like methane (CH₄) remains challenging due to competing reactions and inefficient electron transfer. In a study published in Nano Research, a team of scientists from China reports a novel chiral plasmonic nanocatalyst that enables highly selective and efficient CO₂-to-CH₄ conversion under circularly polarized light (CPL) illumination.
The researchers designed helical plasmonic nanorods (HPNRs) with a gold-silver core and a mesoporous silica (m-SiO₂) shell. These nanostructures exhibit strong chiral optical responses and asymmetric hot-electron generation when exposed to CPL matching their handedness. Under simulated sunlight and gas-solid reaction conditions, the catalysts achieved a methane production rate of 1.64 μmol·h⁻¹·g⁻¹ with 95.8% electron selectivity—significantly outperforming uncoated counterparts (23.9% selectivity).
“This work demonstrates that chirality and plasmonics can be combined to steer photocatalytic reactions toward desired products with unprecedented selectivity,” said Prof. Xiaochun Wu, a corresponding author of the study from the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology. “The chiral nanostructure generates asymmetric hot electrons under polarized light, promoting the multi-electron CO₂ methanation pathway while suppressing hydrogen evolution.”
The team systematically investigated the role of the m-SiO₂ shell thickness, finding that a thin shell (∼5 nm) optimally balances charge diffusion and intermediate confinement. Photoelectrochemical and platinum photodeposition experiments confirmed that chirality-matched CPL illumination enhances hot-electron generation and facilitates electron transfer to reaction sites.
“The catalyst also exhibits excellent stability and performance across a range of light intensities, making it suitable for real-world solar fuel applications,” added Prof. Xuemei Zhou from Sichuan University, another corresponding author. “This research opens new avenues for controlling reaction pathways using light polarization and chiral nanomaterials.”
The study highlights the potential of chiral plasmonic catalysts in sustainable energy and environmental applications, particularly in solar fuel production and carbon capture and utilization technologies.
This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province (Grant No. 2024NSFSC1119), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.22108179), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB36000000), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (2021YFA1202803),the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 22072032, 22271257, 21902148), Natural Science Foundation of Henan (Grant No. 232300421096), and National Key R&D Program of China (No.2024YFE0105200). The authors would like to thank to Dr. Yanping Huang from Institute of Engineering Experimental Teaching Center, School of Chemical Engineering for TEM measurement.
The paper, “Chiral plasmonic nanocatalysts for enhanced CO₂ methanation activity and selectivity via polarized photogenerated hot carriers,” was published in Nano Research on September 8, 2025.
About Nano Research
Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 7,000 articles. In 2024 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2024 IF is 9.0 (8.7, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.