{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T15:09:45Z","timestamp":1789744185320,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789689600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003977","name":"Israel Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2655\/23"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2655\/23"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003977","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000001","name":"National Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2452446"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2452446"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000001","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Small"],"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Sustainable energy conversion technologies demand efficient, stable, and environmentally compatible photocatalysts. Here, we report heavy\u2010metal\u2010free ZnSe\/ZnS\u2500Au hybrid nanoparticles (HNPs) with controlled shell architecture and tunable Au\u2010domain properties. These HNPs are designed to overcome intrinsic limitations of ZnSe\u2010based nanomaterials, including surface oxidation, rapid electron trapping, inefficient charge extraction, and limited chemical reactivity. By correlating photocatalytic performance with structural analysis and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, we reveal how the synergistic effect of shell characteristics and metal\u2010domain properties governs photocatalytic functionality. The ZnS shell (partial, thin, or thick) determines the interplay between surface passivation and charge separation, with complete and thicker shells effectively suppressing surface traps but limiting electron transfer. The Au domains, ranging from single\u2010atom catalysts (SACs) to crystalline tips, further modulate charge separation and chemical reactivity, with larger domains enhancing electron extraction at the expense of reactivity. Optimal photocatalytic performance is achieved with a thin shell decorated with sub\u2010nanometric clusters, enabling efficient charge separation while maintaining substantial surface passivation and high chemical reactivity. This work establishes design principles for heavy\u2010metal\u2010free HNPs, showing that parallel tuning of shell and metal\u2010domain characteristics allows precise control over photocatalytic functionality, paving the way for high\u2010performance photocatalysts in sustainable energy applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/smll.75697","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T14:55:28Z","timestamp":1789743328000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Interplay of Charge Trapping, Charge Separation, and Chemical Reactivity in Photocatalytic ZnSe\u2010Based Semiconductor\u2013Metal Hybrid Nanoparticles"],"prefix":"10.1002","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3230-1767","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shira","family":"Gigi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chemistry The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"},{"name":"The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-2658-1657","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Diego","family":"Florio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Fisica Politecnico di Milano  Milano Italy"},{"name":"Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie  Milano Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9423-3347","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shuting","family":"Xiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering Stony Brook University  Stony Brook New York USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4483-1573","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adar","family":"Levi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chemistry The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"},{"name":"The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5008-6699","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Einav","family":"Scharf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chemistry The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"},{"name":"The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6408-5424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sergei","family":"Remennik","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9646-0738","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lu","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Synchrotron Light Source II Brookhaven National Laboratory  Upton New York USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8589-1003","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dali","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Synchrotron Light Source II Brookhaven National Laboratory  Upton New York USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0558-7405","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dominik","family":"Wierzbicki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Synchrotron Light Source II Brookhaven National Laboratory  Upton New York USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5451-1207","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anatoly I.","family":"Frenkel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering Stony Brook University  Stony Brook New York USA"},{"name":"Chemistry Division Brookhaven National Laboratory  Upton New York USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8312-7899","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Franco V. A.","family":"Camargo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie  Milano Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9534-2702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulio","family":"Cerullo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Fisica Politecnico di Milano  Milano Italy"},{"name":"Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie  Milano Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1698-2128","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Uri","family":"Banin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chemistry The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"},{"name":"The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology The Hebrew University of Jerusalem  Jerusalem Israel"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_8_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/adom.202402510"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.201803351","article-title":"Spontaneous Formation of Noble\u2010 and Heavy\u2010Metal\u2010Free Alloyed Semiconductor Quantum Rods for Efficient Photocatalysis","volume":"30","author":"Chen D.","year":"2018","journal-title":"Advanced Materials"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/anie.201814265"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.201900781"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acsnano.4c13603"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/D1NR07681G"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/smll.201902231","article-title":"Nonepitaxial Gold\u2010Tipped ZnSe Hybrid Nanorods for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production","volume":"16","author":"Chen W.","year":"2020","journal-title":"Small"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.chemrev.2c00770"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_10_1","article-title":"Progress and Future Prospects in Eco\u2010Friendly Blue Quantum Dot Light\u2010Emitting Diodes for Next\u2010Generation Display Applications","volume":"20","author":"Huang M.","year":"2025","journal-title":"Laser & Photonics Reviews"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acsaom.5c00207"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41565\u2010024\u201001812\u20100"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cctc.201901190"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467\u2010018\u201007837\u2010z"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.1c02284"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.9b05020"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.202501500"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.202504259","article-title":"Improving the Dynamic Stability of High\u2010Efficiency Quantum Dot Light\u2010Emitting Diodes by Core\u2013shell Engineering","volume":"37","author":"Liu X.","year":"2025","journal-title":"Advanced Materials"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/D3LF00126A"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcis.2024.11.116"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cctc.201801306"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.7b02582"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jpclett.5b00872"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/ncomms10413"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/jacs.1c11745"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.7b04210"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.201904249","article-title":"Atomically Dispersed Co\u2013P3 on CdS Nanorods With Electron\u2010Rich Feature Boosts Photocatalysis","volume":"32","author":"Zhou P.","year":"2020","journal-title":"Advanced Materials"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_28_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/sciadv.aaz8447"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_29_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467\u2010023\u201040003\u20108"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nanoen.2017.12.039"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apcatb.2021.121000"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_32_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1033","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chempr.2021.01.007","article-title":"Partially Reduced Pd Single Atoms on CdS Nanorods Enable Photocatalytic Reforming of Ethanol Into High Value\u2010Added Multicarbon Compound","volume":"7","author":"Zhou P.","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chem"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_33_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apcatb.2019.118233"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_34_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cej.2023.144793"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_35_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/jacs.5c01838"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_36_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/C5CS00472A"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/jz100075c"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_38_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/nn204601n"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_39_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.201706697"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_40_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"Hybrid Semiconductor\u2013Metal Nanorods as Photocatalysts","volume":"374","author":"Ben\u2010Shahar Y.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Topics in Current Chemistry Collections"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_41_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.8b02169"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_42_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/C9NA00729F"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_43_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"823","DOI":"10.1038\/s41570-022-00434-1","article-title":"Optimizing the Semiconductor\u2013Metal\u2010Single\u2010Atom Interaction for Photocatalytic Reactivity","volume":"6","author":"Zhou P.","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nature Reviews Chemistry"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_44_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/ar300361m"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_45_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41570\u2010018\u20100010\u20101"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_46_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/ar500398g"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_47_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1088\/0022\u20103719\/12\/5\/019"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_48_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevB.38.10919"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_49_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/jp060740f"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_50_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/ja0725706"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_51_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4335","DOI":"10.1039\/D5RA08118A","article-title":"Exploration of the Interaction Strength at the Interface of Neutral Chalcogen Ligands and Gold Surfaces","volume":"16","author":"Garz\u00f3n T. A.","year":"2026","journal-title":"RSC Advances"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_52_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/nano10061237"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_53_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1039\/b923274p"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_54_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/asia.201900332"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_55_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/cm801702x"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_56_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1021\/nl200519b"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_57_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/nsr\/nwac025","article-title":"On\u2010Demand Synthesis of High\u2010Quality, Blue\u2010Light\u2010Active ZnSe Colloidal Quantum Wires","volume":"9","author":"Li Y.","year":"2022","journal-title":"National Science Review"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_58_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"P. K.Das N.Dhiman S.Umapathy andA.Bhardwaj \u201cExternal Probe\u2010Based Amplified Spontaneous Emission in Cd1\u2010xZnxSe\/ZnSe Quantum Dots for fiber Laser Application \u201d in2022 IEEE International Conference on Emerging Electronics (ICEE)(IEEE 2022) 1\u20135.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICEE56203.2022.10117987"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_59_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1103\/PhysRevB.94.165442"},{"key":"e_1_2_8_60_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1461","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.nanolett.0c04614","article-title":"Visualizing Ultrafast Electron Transfer Processes in Semiconductor\u2010Metal Hybrid Nanoparticles: Toward Excitonic\u2010Plasmonic Light Harvesting","volume":"21","author":"Camargo F. V. A.","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nano Letters"}],"container-title":["Small"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/smll.75697","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1002\/smll.75697","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/smll.75697","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T14:55:31Z","timestamp":1789743331000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/smll.75697"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"references-count":59,"alternative-id":["10.1002\/smll.75697"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/smll.75697","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1613-6810","1613-6829"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1613-6810","type":"print"},{"value":"1613-6829","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2026-01-30","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-09-02","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-09-18","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e75697"}}