@article{SchuermannTitovEbeletal.2022, author = {Sch{\"u}rmann, Robin and Titov, Evgenii and Ebel, Kenny and Kogikoski Junior, Sergio and Mostafa, Amr and Saalfrank, Peter and Milosavljević, Aleksandar R. and Bald, Ilko}, title = {The electronic structure of the metal-organic interface of isolated ligand coated gold nanoparticles}, series = {Nanoscale Advances}, volume = {4}, journal = {Nanoscale Advances}, number = {6}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {2516-0230}, doi = {10.1039/d1na00737h}, pages = {1599 -- 1607}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Light induced electron transfer reactions of molecules on the surface of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) depend significantly on the electronic properties of the metal-organic interface. Hybridized metal-molecule states and dipoles at the interface alter the work function and facilitate or hinder electron transfer between the NPs and ligand. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements of isolated AuNPs coated with thiolated ligands in a vacuum have been performed as a function of photon energy, and the depth dependent information of the metal-organic interface has been obtained. The role of surface dipoles in the XPS measurements of isolated ligand coated NPs is discussed and the binding energy of the Au 4f states is shifted by around 0.8 eV in the outer atomic layers of 4-nitrothiophenol coated AuNPs, facilitating electron transport towards the molecules. Moreover, the influence of the interface dipole depends significantly on the adsorbed ligand molecules. The present study paves the way towards the engineering of the electronic properties of the nanoparticle surface, which is of utmost importance for the application of plasmonic nanoparticles in the fields of heterogeneous catalysis and solar energy conversion.}, language = {en} } @article{SchuermannNagelJuergensenetal.2022, author = {Sch{\"u}rmann, Robin and Nagel, Alessandro and Juergensen, Sabrina and Pathak, Anisha and Reich, Stephanie and Pacholski, Claudia and Bald, Ilko}, title = {Microscopic understanding of reaction rates observed in plasmon chemistry of nanoparticle-ligand systems}, series = {The journal of physical chemistry : C, Nanomaterials and interfaces}, volume = {126}, journal = {The journal of physical chemistry : C, Nanomaterials and interfaces}, number = {11}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {1932-7447}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c00278}, pages = {5333 -- 5342}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is an effective and widely used technique to study chemical reactions induced or catalyzed by plasmonic substrates, since the experimental setup allows us to trigger and track the reaction simultaneously and identify the products. However, on substrates with plasmonic hotspots, the total signal mainly originates from these nanoscopic volumes with high reactivity and the information about the overall consumption remains obscure in SERS measurements. This has important implications; for example, the apparent reaction order in SERS measurements does not correlate with the real reaction order, whereas the apparent reaction rates are proportional to the real reaction rates as demonstrated by finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. We determined the electric field enhancement distribution of a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) monolayer and calculated the SERS intensities in light-driven reactions in an adsorbed self-assembled molecular monolayer on the AuNP surface. Accordingly, even if a high conversion is observed in SERS due to the high reactivity in the hotspots, most of the adsorbed molecules on the AuNP surface remain unreacted. The theoretical findings are compared with the hot-electron-induced dehalogenation of 4-bromothiophenol, indicating a time dependency of the hot-carrier concentration in plasmon-mediated reactions. To fit the kinetics of plasmon-mediated reactions in plasmonic hotspots, fractal-like kinetics are well suited to account for the inhomogeneity of reactive sites on the substrates, whereas also modified standard kinetics model allows equally well fits. The outcomes of this study are on the one hand essential to derive a mechanistic understanding of reactions on plasmonic substrates by SERS measurements and on the other hand to drive plasmonic reactions with high local precision and facilitate the engineering of chemistry on a nanoscale.}, language = {en} } @article{DuttaSchuermannKogikoskiJunioretal.2021, author = {Dutta, Anushree and Sch{\"u}rmann, Robin and Kogikoski Junior, Sergio and Mueller, Niclas S. and Reich, Stephanie and Bald, Ilko}, title = {Kinetics and mechanism of plasmon-driven dehalogenation reaction of brominated purine nucleobases on Ag and Au}, series = {ACS catalysis / American Chemical Society}, volume = {11}, journal = {ACS catalysis / American Chemical Society}, number = {13}, publisher = {American Chemical Society}, address = {Washington}, issn = {2155-5435}, doi = {10.1021/acscatal.1c01851}, pages = {8370 -- 8381}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Plasmon-driven photocatalysis is an emerging and promising application of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs). An understanding of the fundamental aspects of plasmon interaction with molecules and factors controlling their reaction rate in a heterogeneous system is of high importance. Therefore, the dehalogenation kinetics of 8-bromoguanine (BrGua) and 8-bromoadenine (BrAde) on aggregated surfaces of silver (Ag) and gold (Au) NPs have been studied to understand the reaction kinetics and the underlying reaction mechanism prevalent in heterogeneous reaction systems induced by plasmons monitored by surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We conclude that the time-average constant concentration of hot electrons and the time scale of dissociation of transient negative ions (TNI) are crucial in defining the reaction rate law based on a proposed kinetic model. An overall higher reaction rate of dehalogenation is observed on Ag compared with Au, which is explained by the favorable hot-hole scavenging by the reaction product and the byproduct. We therefore arrive at the conclusion that insufficient hole deactivation could retard the reaction rate significantly, marking itself as rate-determining step for the overall reaction. The wavelength dependency of the reaction rate normalized to absorbed optical power indicates the nonthermal nature of the plasmon-driven reaction. The study therefore lays a general approach toward understanding the kinetics and reaction mechanism of a plasmon-driven reaction in a heterogeneous system, and furthermore, it leads to a better understanding of the reactivity of brominated purine derivatives on Ag and Au, which could in the future be exploited, for example, in plasmon-assisted cancer therapy.}, language = {en} } @article{RibarHuberSmialeketal.2018, author = {Ribar, Anita and Huber, Stefan E. and Smialek, Malgorzata A. and Tanzer, Katrin and Neustetter, Michael and Sch{\"u}rmann, Robin and Bald, Ilko and Denifl, Stephan}, title = {Hydroperoxyl radical and formic acid formation from common DNA stabilizers upon low energy electron attachment}, series = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies}, volume = {20}, journal = {Physical chemistry, chemical physics : a journal of European Chemical Societies}, number = {8}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, address = {Cambridge}, issn = {1463-9076}, doi = {10.1039/c7cp07697e}, pages = {5578 -- 5585}, year = {2018}, abstract = {2-Amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (TRIS) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ( EDTA) are key components of biological buffers and are frequently used as DNA stabilizers in irradiation studies. Such surface or liquid phase studies are done with the aim to understand the fundamental mechanisms of DNA radiation damage and to improve cancer radiotherapy. When ionizing radiation is used, abundant secondary electrons are formed during the irradiation process, which are able to attach to the molecular compounds present on the surface. In the present study we experimentally investigate low energy electron attachment to TRIS and methyliminodiacetic acid ( MIDA), an analogue of EDTA, supported by quantum chemical calculations. The most prominent dissociation channel for TRIS is through hydroperoxyl radical formation, whereas the dissociation of MIDA results in the formation of formic and acetic acid. These compounds are well-known to cause DNA modifications, like strand breaks. The present results indicate that buffer compounds may not have an exclusive protecting effect on DNA as suggested previously.}, language = {en} } @article{MarquesSmialekSchuermannetal.2020, author = {Marques, Telma S. and Smialek, Malgorzata A. and Sch{\"u}rmann, Robin and Bald, Ilko and Raposo, Maria and Eden, Sam and Mason, Nigel J.}, title = {Decomposition of halogenated nucleobases by surface plasmon resonance excitation of gold nanoparticles}, series = {The European physical journal : D, Atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics}, volume = {74}, journal = {The European physical journal : D, Atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics}, number = {11}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {1434-6060}, doi = {10.1140/epjd/e2020-10208-3}, pages = {9}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Halogenated uracil derivatives are of great interest in modern cancer therapy, either as chemotherapeutics or radiosensitisers depending on their halogen atom. This work applies UV-Vis spectroscopy to study the radiation damage of uracil, 5-bromouracil and 5-fluorouracil dissolved in water in the presence of gold nanoparticles upon irradiation with an Nd:YAG ns-pulsed laser operating at 532 nm at different fluences. Gold nanoparticles absorb light efficiently by their surface plasmon resonance and can significantly damage DNA in their vicinity by an increase of temperature and the generation of reactive secondary species, notably radical fragments and low energy electrons. A recent study using the same experimental approach characterized the efficient laser-induced decomposition of the pyrimidine ring structure of 5-bromouracil mediated by the surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles. The present results show that the presence of irradiated gold nanoparticles decomposes the ring structure of uracil and its halogenated derivatives with similar efficiency. In addition to the fragmentation of the pyrimidine ring, for 5-bromouracil the cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond could be observed, whereas for 5-fluorouracil this reaction channel was inhibited. Locally-released halogen atoms can react with molecular groups within DNA, hence this result indicates a specific mechanism by which doping with 5-bromouracil can enhance DNA damage in the proximity of laser irradiated gold nanoparticles.}, language = {en} }