A novel catalyst for ammonia synthesis at ambient temperature and pressure: Visible light responsive photocatalyst using localized surface plasmon resonance

•A novel photocatalyst for ammonia synthesis at room temperature was investigated.•Os–Au showed a catalytic activity for ammonia synthesis under visible light irradiation.•Localized surface plasmon resonance was suggested to play the role in photocatalytic activity.

A novel catalyst for ammonia synthesis using localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) was investigated. Os–Au composite nanoparticles showed a high catalytic activity in ammonia synthesis reaction under visible light irradiation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Photo energy was likely to be transferred to Os via Au particles, and contributed to the enhancement of the catalytic activity, because the ammonia production rate and the LSPR absorbance of Au particles showed similar dependence on the irradiation wavelength.

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