Anisotropic gold nanostructures applied to improve solar energy conversion

The synthesis of anisotropic gold nanostructures has developed drastically in the last decade. Under the background of carbon neutrality, the search for highly efficient, stable, and non-polluting catalysts has become a tireless pursuit of scholars. Gold is a plasmon metal with tunable electronic and optical properties, so gold-based nanostructures have received significant research attention for clean solar energy applications. In this review, we presented the stability, optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of gold and further introduced the excitation and subsequent relaxation process of surface plasmon resonance, giving the status of its hot carriers on a time scale. Secondly, we systematically summed up the properties and recent progress of anisotropic gold nanostructures by morphology into one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional, analyzing how anisotropic gold nanostructures could achieve maximum efficiency of solar light utilization. Finally, we presented the existing deficiencies and future perspectives in this field to provide more possibilities for solar energy conversion.