Phase Transitions and Water Splitting Applications of 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides and Metal Phosphorous Trichalcogenides

Abstract

2D layered materials turn out to be the most attractive hotspot in materials for their unique physical and chemical properties. A special class of 2D layered material refers to materials exhibiting phase transition based on environment variables. Among these materials, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) act as a promising alternative for their unique combination of atomic-scale thickness, direct bandgap, significant spin-orbit coupling and prominent electronic and mechanical properties, enabling them to be applied for fundamental studies as catalyst materials. Metal phosphorous trichalcogenides (MPTs), as another potential catalytic 2D phase transition material, have been employed for their unusual intercalation behavior and electrochemical properties, which act as a secondary electrode in lithium batteries. The preparation of 2D TMD and MPT materials has been extensively conducted by engineering their intrinsic structures at the atomic scale. In this study, advanced synthesis methods of preparing 2D TMD and MPT materials are tested, and their properties are investigated, with stress placed on their phase transition. The surge of this type of report is associated with water-splitting catalysis and other catalytic purposes. This study aims to be a guideline to explore the mentioned 2D TMD and MPT materials for their catalytic applications.

Nanoscale Mapping of Cu‐Ion Transport in van der Waals Layered CuCrP2S6

“…a hot topic, and many theoretical/experimental studies have been performed due to the promising applications in electrochemical storage, ion gated synaptic transistors, and tunable physical properties. [6][7][8] There are mainly two research lines with respect to the ionic conductivity in MTPs: the ionic transport of intercalated species or native species. MTPs have similar layered structures with transition metal dichalcogenides and rather broad interlayer gaps, providing ideal space for the intercalation of various foreign species from small cations to macro-moleculars.…”

Bimetal Modulation Stabilizing a Metallic Heterostructure for Efficient Overall Water Splitting at Large Current Density

“…Typically, the industrially-used Raney Ni electrocatalysts operating at 500 mA cm −2 for overall water splitting required a cell voltage of 2.4 V, [13] which largely exceeds the thermodynamic potential of 1.23 V. To date, the overall water splitting catalyzed by NiMoO x @NiMoS x , [14] FeP@Ni 2 P [15] and NiMoN@NiFeN [16] still required the cell voltages as high as 1.75, 1.73 and 1.72 V, respectively, at 500 mA cm −2 . Although tremendous progress by regulation of phase structure, defects, interface, and active sites has been developed to boost activities of electrocatalysts for robust water splitting, [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] traditional electronic regulation to construct a semiconductor heterostructure toward overall water splitting is difficult to realize for durable and fast Volmer H* and Heyrovsky H 2 generation for large-current operation, owing to the instinct of relatively low electronic conductivity and high ohmic contact resistance [11,28,29] (Figure 1a).…”

Recent strategies for activating the basal planes of transition metal dichalcogenides towards hydrogen production

“…In particular, two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), represented by MoS 2 , are widely favored due to their low cost, layered structures, and fascinating electronic properties. [12][13][14] To date, substantial research efforts have been devoted to developing highly efficient HER catalysts based on 2D TMDCs. The key advantage is that their atomically thin nature can act as an interface with the possibility of maximum exposure of nearly all active sites to the reaction environment.…”