Solar energy conversion with tunable plasmonic nanostructures for thermoelectric devices.

The photothermal effect in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) should be fully utilized when integrating plasmonics into solar technologies for improved light absorption. In this communication, we demonstrate that the photothermal effect of silver nanostructures can provide a heat source for thermoelectric devices for the first time. The plasmonic band of silver nanostructures can be facilely manoeuvred by tailoring their shapes, enabling them to interact with photons in different spectral ranges for the efficient utilization of solar light. It is anticipated that this concept can be extended to design a photovoltaic-thermoelectric tandem cell structure with plasmonics as mediation for light harvesting.