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Engineering grain boundaries at the 2D limit for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Author

Listed:
  • Yongmin He

    (Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Technological University)

  • Pengyi Tang

    (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra
    Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), Jardins de les Dones de Negre 1, Sant Adrià del Besòs)

  • Zhili Hu

    (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
    Rice University)

  • Qiyuan He

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Chao Zhu

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Luqing Wang

    (Rice University)

  • Qingsheng Zeng

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Prafful Golani

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Guanhui Gao

    (Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin Hausvogteiplatz)

  • Wei Fu

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Zhiqi Huang

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Caitian Gao

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Juan Xia

    (University of Electronic Science and Technology of China)

  • Xingli Wang

    (CNRS-International-NTU-THALES Research Alliance, Nanyang Technological University)

  • Xuewen Wang

    (Northwestern Polytechnical University)

  • Chao Zhu

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Quentin M. Ramasse

    (Keckwick Lane
    University of Leeds)

  • Ao Zhang

    (Nanyang Technological University)

  • Boxing An

    (Beijing University of Technology)

  • Yongzhe Zhang

    (Beijing University of Technology)

  • Sara Martí-Sánchez

    (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra)

  • Joan Ramon Morante

    (Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), Jardins de les Dones de Negre 1, Sant Adrià del Besòs)

  • Liang Wang

    (Shanghai University)

  • Beng Kang Tay

    (CNRS-International-NTU-THALES Research Alliance, Nanyang Technological University)

  • Boris I. Yakobson

    (Rice University)

  • Achim Trampert

    (Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin Hausvogteiplatz)

  • Hua Zhang

    (Nanyang Technological University
    City University of Hong Kong)

  • Minghong Wu

    (Shanghai University)

  • Qi Jie Wang

    (Nanyang Technological University
    CINTRA CNRS/NTU/THALES, UMI 3288, Research Techno Plaza)

  • Jordi Arbiol

    (Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra
    ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23)

  • Zheng Liu

    (Nanyang Technological University
    Nanyang Technological University
    CINTRA CNRS/NTU/THALES, UMI 3288, Research Techno Plaza
    Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute)

Abstract

Atom-thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as fascinating materials and key structures for electrocatalysis. So far, their edges, dopant heteroatoms and defects have been intensively explored as active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to split water. However, grain boundaries (GBs), a key type of defects in TMDs, have been overlooked due to their low density and large structural variations. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of wafer-size atom-thin TMD films with an ultra-high-density of GBs, up to ~1012 cm−2. We propose a climb and drive 0D/2D interaction to explain the underlying growth mechanism. The electrocatalytic activity of the nanograin film is comprehensively examined by micro-electrochemical measurements, showing an excellent hydrogen-evolution performance (onset potential: −25 mV and Tafel slope: 54 mV dec−1), thus indicating an intrinsically high activation of the TMD GBs.

Suggested Citation

  • Yongmin He & Pengyi Tang & Zhili Hu & Qiyuan He & Chao Zhu & Luqing Wang & Qingsheng Zeng & Prafful Golani & Guanhui Gao & Wei Fu & Zhiqi Huang & Caitian Gao & Juan Xia & Xingli Wang & Xuewen Wang & C, 2020. "Engineering grain boundaries at the 2D limit for the hydrogen evolution reaction," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-13631-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13631-2
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    Cited by:

    1. Zengyao Wang & Jiyi Chen & Erhong Song & Ning Wang & Juncai Dong & Xiang Zhang & Pulickel M. Ajayan & Wei Yao & Chenfeng Wang & Jianjun Liu & Jianfeng Shen & Mingxin Ye, 2021. "Manipulation on active electronic states of metastable phase β-NiMoO4 for large current density hydrogen evolution," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Yongheng Zhou & Xin Zhou & Xiang-Long Yu & Zihan Liang & Xiaoxu Zhao & Taihong Wang & Jinshui Miao & Xiaolong Chen, 2024. "Giant intrinsic photovoltaic effect in one-dimensional van der Waals grain boundaries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Hang Xia & Xiaoru Sang & Zhiwen Shu & Zude Shi & Zefen Li & Shasha Guo & Xiuyun An & Caitian Gao & Fucai Liu & Huigao Duan & Zheng Liu & Yongmin He, 2023. "The practice of reaction window in an electrocatalytic on-chip microcell," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

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