Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik
O 98: Ultrafast electron dynamics at surface and interfaces IV
O 98.8: Talk
Friday, March 13, 2026, 11:30–11:45, TRE/MATH
Non-equilibrium electron dynamics in antenna-reactor plasmonic photocatalysts — •Henry T. Snowden1 and Reinhard J. Maurer1,2 — 1University of Warwick, UK — 2University of Vienna, AT
Antenna-reactor nanoparticles are a promising form of plasmonic photocatalyst, combining strong light absorption and high catalytic activity. A key materials design question is the correct nanoparticle geometry with proposals ranging from core-shell structures to nanoalloys. Optimal photocatalysts combine strong light absorption, effective carrier transport, and long carrier lifetime. Here, we study the non-equilibrium electron dynamics after pulsed laser excitation using the Athermal Electron Model (AthEM), which explicitly considers thermal and non-thermal electrons in contact with a phonon bath, and a laser source term. Electron-electron scattering effects are considered at the level of the relaxation time approximation. We investigate how athermal electron-hole pair distributions evolve in different classes of promising materials according to the interplay of electron-electron and electron-phonon scattering. Based on our findings, we propose optimal materials compositions and photocatalyst geometries.
Keywords: Light-Matter Interactions; Surface Chemistry; Non-equilibrium dynamics; Plasmonic photocatalysis