Electronic structure engineering of transition metal dichalcogenides for boosting hydrogen energy conversion electrocatalysts

doi:10.1088/1674-1056/ad625b

Abstract Electrocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production is an appealing strategy to reduce carbon emissions and generate renewable fuels. This promising process, however, is limited by its sluggish reaction kinetics and high-cost catalysts. The two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have presented great potential as electrocatalytic materials due to their tunable bandgaps, abundant defective active sites, and good chemical stability. Consequently, phase engineering, defect engineering and interface engineering have been adopted to manipulate the electronic structure of TMDCs for boosting their exceptional catalytic performance. Particularly, it is essential to clarify the local structure of catalytically active sites of TMDCs and their structural evolution in catalytic reactions using atomic resolution electron microscopy and the booming in situ technologies, which is beneficial for exploring the underlying reaction mechanism. In this review, the growth regulation, characterization, particularly atomic configurations of active sites in TMDCs are summarized. The significant role of electron microscopy in the understanding of the growth mechanism, the controlled synthesis and functional optimization of 2D TMDCs are discussed. This review will shed light on the design and synthesis of novel electrocatalysts with high performance, as well as prompt the application of advanced electron microscopy in the research of materials science.

Keywords: TMDCs STEM hydrogen energy conversion active site identification

Received: 29 April 2024
Revised: 05 July 2024
Accepted manuscript online: 12 July 2024

PACS:	68.37.Ma	(Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM))
	88.30.-k	(Hydrogen and fuel cell technology)
	71.23.-k	(Electronic structure of disordered solids)
	73.22.-f	(Electronic structure of nanoscale materials and related systems)

Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U21A20174 and 52001222), the Science and Technology Innovation Talent Team Project of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 202304051001010), the Key National Scientific and Technological Co-operation Projects of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 202104041101008), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province (Grant No. 202303021221045), the Program for the Innovative Talents of Higher Education Institutions of Shanxi (PTIT), and the Scientific and Technological Innovation Programs of Higher Education Institutions in Shanxi (STIP) (Grant No. 2022L036).

Corresponding Authors: Peizhi Liu, Junjie Guo
E-mail: liupeizhi@tyut.edu.cn;guojunjie@tyut.edu.cn

Cite this article:

Bing Hao(郝兵), Jingjing Guo(郭晶晶), Peizhi Liu(刘培植), and Junjie Guo(郭俊杰) Electronic structure engineering of transition metal dichalcogenides for boosting hydrogen energy conversion electrocatalysts 2024 Chin. Phys. B 33 096802

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