Boosting hot electrons transfer via laser-induced atomic redistribution for plasmon-enhanced nitroreduction and single-particle study

•Laser ablation was applied to change growth mode of Pt on Au NRs.•The role of laser-induced atomic reconstruction on charge transfer was explored in situ at the single-particle level.•Laser-induced atomic redistribution greatly promote hot electron transfer between Au and Pt.•The TOF for 4-NP reduction was increased by 2-fold using L-Pt-Au NRs compared to original Pt-Au NRs.•The mechanism of plasmon-enhanced nitroreduction was studied at the single-particle level.