Hydrogen Evolution at Liquid | Liquid Interfaces Catalyzed by 2D Materials

作者：Hirunpinyopas Wisit; Rodgers Andrew N J; Worrall Stephen D; Bissett Mark A; Dryfe Robert A W^*

来源：ChemNanoMat, 2017, 3(6): 428-435.

DOI：10.1002/cnma.201700047

• exfoliated transition metal dichalcogenides
• hydrogen evolution
• liquid jliquid interface
• two-dimensional materials

The hydrogen evolution reaction ( HER) plays a crucial role in clean energy production in hydrogen fuel cells. In order to utilize this process effectively, new catalysts are required that are cheap, non-toxic and efficient. In this context, 2D materials such as transition metal dichalcogenides ( e.g., MoS2) should offer the desired properties but have so far proven difficult to manufacture into useful devices. In this work, liquid | liquid interfaces are used for the assembly and testing of the catalytic efficiency of a number of 2D materials and their composites, exploiting the ability of the materials to self-assemble at these interfaces and be tested electrochemically in situ. MoS2, WS2, and graphene were developed for hydrogen evolution at the water |1,2-dichloro-benzene ( DCB) interface. The exfoliation process was carried out in DCB and resulted in multi-layer MoS2, few-layer WS2 and graphene; when assembled at the water |DCB interface, these materials acted as efficient HER catalysts. HER was investigated using voltammetry, with bulk reaction kinetics monitored by in situ UV-visible spectroscopy at a constant potential. MoS2 exhibited the highest performance of the catalysts examined, with an average rate constant of 0.0132 +/- 0.063 min(-1) at an applied Galvani potential of + 0.5 V. This is ascribed to the sulfur edge sites of MoS2, which are known to be active for hydrogen evolution predominantly.

• 出版日期2017-6