The generation of nonequilibrium hot-carriers from the decay of surface plasmons has been attracting intense research attention in the last decade due to both the fundamental aspects of extreme light-matter interactions and potential practical applications. Here, we overview the physics associated with plasmon-assisted hot-carrier generation and outline the key applications of hot-carrier processes for photodetection, photovoltaics and photocatalysis. We also discuss the recent developments in employing molecular tunnel junctions as barriers for extracting hot-carriers and provide an outlook on the potential of this emerging field for sustainable energy.

中文翻译：

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等离子热载流子及其应用：意见

由于极端光物质相互作用的基本方面和潜在的实际应用，从表面等离子体的衰变中产生非平衡热载流子在过去十年中引起了广泛的研究关注。在这里，我们概述了与等离子体辅助热载流子生成相关的物理学，并概述了热载流子过程在光电检测、光伏和光催化方面的关键应用。我们还讨论了使用分子隧道结作为提取热载流子的障碍的最新进展，并展望了这一新兴领域在可持续能源方面的潜力。