2D Transition-Metal-Dichalcogenide-Nanosheet-Based Composites for Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Qipeng Lu; Yifu Yu; Qinglang Ma; Bo Chen; Hua Zhang

doi:10.1002/adma.201503270

2D Transition-Metal-Dichalcogenide-Nanosheet-Based Composites for Photocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Adv Mater. 2016 Mar 9;28(10):1917-33. doi: 10.1002/adma.201503270. Epub 2015 Dec 16.

Authors

Qipeng Lu¹, Yifu Yu¹, Qinglang Ma^{1

2}, Bo Chen^{1

2}, Hua Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Center for Programmable Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
² Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Interdisciplinary Graduate School, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.

PMID: 26676800
DOI: 10.1002/adma.201503270

Abstract

Hydrogen (H2) is one of the most important clean and renewable energy sources for future energy sustainability. Nowadays, photocatalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) from water splitting are considered as two of the most efficient methods to convert sustainable energy to the clean energy carrier, H2. Catalysts based on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are recognized as greatly promising substitutes for noble-metal-based catalysts for HER. The photocatalytic and electrocatalytic activities of TMD nanosheets for the HER can be further improved after hybridization with many kinds of nanomaterials, such as metals, oxides, sulfides, and carbon materials, through different methods including the in situ reduction method, the hot-injection method, the heating-up method, the hydro(solvo)thermal method, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and thermal annealing. Here, recent progress in photocatalytic and electrocatalytic HERs using 2D TMD-based composites as catalysts is discussed.

Keywords: 2D nanomaterials; electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction; photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction; transition-metal dichalcogenides.