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The elongation of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in a dielectric matrix after irradiation with swift heavy ions is a phenomenon that has been known for several years. However, the precise mechanism behind this deformation process is still not fully understood, primarily due to the dearth of information during intermediate stages of deformation. In this study, we report the continuation of our previous work [Peña-Rodríguez et al., Sci. Rep. 7(1), 922 (2017)], exploiting the strong dependence of the localized surface plasmon resonance on the aspect ratio of elongated metal NPs to study the elongation kinetics in situ. In situ optical absorption spectra were measured using a polarizing beam splitter to separate the longitudinal and transverse plasmon modes of the anisotropic NPs. Then, the detailed geometrical and compositional parameters were determined from a fit of these spectra. The use of linearly polarized light allowed for a more accurate analysis of the elongation kinetics, particularly useful in the first stages, where longitudinal and transverse modes overlap., (© 2024 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

Electrochemical cells for direct conversion of solar energy to electricity (or hydrogen) are one of the most sustainable solutions to meet the increasing worldwide energy demands. In this report, a novel and highly-efficient ternary heterojunction-structured Bi 4 O 7 /Bi 3.33 (VO 4 ) 2 O 2 /Bi 46 V 8 O 89 photoelectrode is presented. It is demonstrated that the combination of an inversion layer, induced by holes (or electrons) at the interface of the semiconducting Bi 3.33 (VO 4 ) 2 O 2 and Bi 46 V 8 O 89 components, and the rectifying contact between the Bi 4 O 7 and Bi 3.33 (VO 4 ) 2 O 2 phases acting afterward as a conventional p-n junction, creates an adjustable virtual p-n-p or n-p-n junction due to self-polarization in the ion-conducting Bi 46 V 8 O 89 constituent. This design approach led to anodic and cathodic photocurrent densities of + 38.41 mA cm -2 (+ 0.76 V RHE ) and- 2.48 mA cm -2 (0 V RHE ), respectively. Accordingly, first, this heterojunction can be used either as photoanode or as photocathode with great performance for artificial photosynthesis, noting, second, that the anodic response reveals exceptionally high: more than 300% superior to excellent values previously reported in the literature.