Plasmonic photocatalysis, stemming from the effective light absorbance and confinement of
surface plasmons, provides a pathway to enhance solar energy conversion. Although the
plasmonic hot electrons in water reduction have been extensively studied, exactly how the
plasmonic hot holes participate in the water splitting reaction has not yet been well
understood. In particular, where the plasmonic hot holes participate in water oxidation is still
illusive. Herein, taking Au/TiO2 as a plasmonic photocatalyst prototype, we investigated the …