Steam methane reforming (SMR) is the major industrial process for hydrogen production. It currently relies on high-temperature operating conditions and is associated with high carbon intensity. Photocatalytic SMR could provide greener and potentially more efficient H₂ production. Here we demonstrate a plasmonic photocatalytic approach based on a Cu–Rh antenna–reactor photocatalyst for highly reactive, selective and stable SMR due to plasmon-mediated hot carrier contributions. We observe that the photocatalyst is intrinsically stable in photocatalysis but deactivates under thermocatalysis; however, the thermally deactivated catalyst can be regenerated by resonant illumination. The regeneration mechanism is studied in detail and found to be caused by plasmon-induced associative desorption of oxygen and carbon species.

蒸汽甲烷重整 （SMR） 是制氢的主要工业过程。它目前依赖于高温操作条件，并且与高碳强度有关。光催化 SMR 可以提供更环保且可能更高效的 H₂ 生产。在这里，我们展示了一种基于 Cu-Rh 天线-反应器光催化剂的等离子体光催化方法，由于等离激元介导的热载流子贡献，用于高反应性、选择性和稳定的 SMR。我们观察到光催化剂在光催化中本质上是稳定的，但在热催化下会失活;然而，热失活的催化剂可以通过共振照明进行再生。详细研究了再生机制，发现是由等离激元诱导的氧和碳物质的结合解吸引起的。