Wert Stefan, Iffelsberger Christian, K Padinjareveetil Akshay Kumar, Pumera Martin
Future Energy and Innovation Laboratory, Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Purkyňova 123, Brno 61200, Czech Republic.
Energy Research Institute@NTU (ERI@N), Research Techno Plaza, X-Frontier Block, Level 5, 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637553, Singapore.
ACS Appl Electron Mater. 2023 Feb 13;5(2):928-934. doi: 10.1021/acsaelm.2c01493. eCollection 2023 Feb 28.
Transition metal trichalcogenphosphites (MPX), belonging to the class of 2D materials, are potentially viable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Many 2D and layered materials exhibit different magnitudes of electrochemical and electrocatalytic activity at their edge and basal sites. To find out whether edges or basal planes are the primary sites for catalytic processes at these compounds, we studied the local electrochemical and electrocatalytic activity of FePSe, an MPX representative that was previously found to be catalytically active. Using scanning electrochemical microscopy, we discovered that electrochemical processes and the HER are occurring at an increased rate at edge-like defects of FePSe crystals. We correlate our observations using optical microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These findings have profound implications for the application of these materials for electrochemistry as well as for understanding general rules governing the electrochemical performance of layered compounds.
过渡金属亚磷酸三硫属化物（MPX）属于二维材料类别，是析氢反应（HER）潜在可行的电催化剂。许多二维和层状材料在其边缘和基面表现出不同程度的电化学和电催化活性。为了弄清楚边缘还是基面是这些化合物催化过程的主要位点，我们研究了FePSe的局部电化学和电催化活性，FePSe是一种先前发现具有催化活性的MPX代表物。使用扫描电化学显微镜，我们发现FePSe晶体的类边缘缺陷处的电化学过程和析氢反应速率增加。我们使用光学显微镜、共聚焦激光扫描显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和电子色散X射线光谱对我们的观察结果进行关联。这些发现对这些材料在电化学中的应用以及理解层状化合物电化学性能的一般规律具有深远意义。
