Plasmonic enhanced solar cells

There has been an increasing interest in plasmon-induced enhancement of solar cells and more recently in the direct generation of photocurrent, using the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) of gold (Au) metal nanoparticles. This paper discusses the three mechanisms of plasmonic enhancement in solar cells; scattering, hot-electrons and Plasmonic Resonant Energy Transfer (PRET). Resuts obtained with all three mechanisms are presented along with some of the future challenges.