Dual MOF-Derived MoS2/CdS Photocatalysts with Rich Sulfur Vacancies for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Cocatalyst plays an important role in efficient charge transfer and separation for photocatalysis. Herein, a MoS₂/CdS photocatalyst with MoS₂ as cocatalyst was designed by using Mo-MOF and Cd-MOF as precursors. Due to the existence of rich sulfur vacancies and 1T phase, MoS₂ shows strong charge capture and transport ability. The photo-generated electrons on conduction band (CB) can be bound by the sulfur vacancy of CdS and effectively transported to MoS₂ through the compact interface between the CdS nanoparticles and 2D large-scale MoS₂. The optimal photocatalyst 1 %MoS₂/CdS exhibited dramatically improved photocatalytic hydrogen production activity, which is 28 times that of pristine CdS and even about 2 times that of 1 %Pt/CdS with same loading amount of noble metal Pt. This work highlights the role of Mo-MOF derived MoS₂ with 1T-2H phases as a sustainable and prospective candidate of cocatalyst for improving charge separation and photocatalytic stability of MoS₂/CdS composites.     

Distance Synergy of MoS2-Confined Rhodium Atoms for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

Perturbing the electronic structure of the MoS₂ basal plane by confining heteroatoms offers the opportunity to trigger in-plane activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The key challenge consists of inducing the optimum HER activity by controlling the type and distribution of confined atoms. A distance synergy of MoS₂-confined single-atom rhodium is presented, leading to an ultra-high HER activity at the in-plane S sites adjacent to the rhodium. By optimizing the distance between the confined Rh atoms, an ultra-low overpotential of 67 mV is achieved at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² in acidic solution. Experiments and first-principles calculations demonstrate a unique distance synergy between the confined rhodium atoms in tuning the reactivity of neighboring in-plane S atoms, which presents a volcanic trend with the inter-rhodium distance. This study provides a new strategy to tailor the activity of MoS₂ surface via modulating the distance between confined single atoms.     

纳米二硫化钼的掺杂及催化电解水产氢的研究进展

电催化水分解制氢是可以形成闭环的生产过程, 起始原料与副产物均为水、 过程清洁无污染, 是极具希望的产氢策略. 目前制约其发展的瓶颈之一是价格昂贵的Pt基贵金属催化剂. 为推动电催化分解水制氢的普及, 亟待开发低成本非贵金属催化剂. 在众多备选非贵金属催化材料中, 纳米层状结构二硫化钼(MoS₂)因催化效果可期、 价格低而获得了广泛关注. 然而, 通常条件下易于获得的层状结构2H相MoS₂大面积的基面部分显示惰性, 仅在片层边缘处存在少量活性位点, 且导电性较差, 因而尚不能替代Pt基催化剂, 而如何增加其活性位点数量和提高其导电性成为亟待解决的问题; 另一方面, 1T相MoS₂虽然活性高、 导电性好, 但却存在制备困难及稳定性差的问题. 鉴于此, 研究者通过对纳米MoS₂进行掺杂改性实现了其活性与稳定性的有效提升. 本文对非贵金属纳米MoS₂催化剂掺杂改性的方法、 机理及其电催化水解制氢性能的相关研究进行了总结与讨论. 作为典型的非贵金属电解水析氢催化剂, MoS₂具有巨大发展潜力, 本文能够对相关非贵金属催化剂的研发提供有益的参考.     

Distance Synergy of MoS2‐Confined Rhodium Atoms for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

Perturbing the electronic structure of the MoS₂ basal plane by confining heteroatoms offers the opportunity to trigger in‐plane activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The key challenge consists of inducing the optimum HER activity by controlling the type and distribution of confined atoms. A distance synergy of MoS₂‐confined single‐atom rhodium is presented, leading to an ultra‐high HER activity at the in‐plane S sites adjacent to the rhodium. By optimizing the distance between the confined Rh atoms, an ultra‐low overpotential of 67 mV is achieved at a current density of 10 mA cm^?2 in acidic solution. Experiments and first‐principles calculations demonstrate a unique distance synergy between the confined rhodium atoms in tuning the reactivity of neighboring in‐plane S atoms, which presents a volcanic trend with the inter‐rhodium distance. This study provides a new strategy to tailor the activity of MoS₂ surface via modulating the distance between confined single atoms.     

MoS2/GQDs催化剂的制备及微生物电解池的产氢性能研究

通过水热法合成了一系列MoS₂/GQDs复合材料,并制成碳基复合电极。利用电化学测试手段挑选出最佳电极后用于微生物电解池（MEC）阴极的产氢性能研究。实验结果显示： Na₂MoO₄、半胱氨酸和GQDs的最佳原料配比为375:600:1,制备出的MoS₂/GQDs呈现明显的爆米花样纳米片结构,片层厚度在10 nm左右,当碳纸负载量为1.5 mg·cm^-2时,MoS₂/GQDs碳纸电极的析氢催化能力最佳。在MEC产氢实验中,MoS₂/GQDs阴极MEC的产气量、氢气产率、库仑效率、整体氢气回收率、阴极氢气回收率、电能回收率和整体能量回收率分别为51.15±3.15 mL·cycle^-1、0.401±0.032 m³H₂·m³d^-1、91.16±0.054%、66.64±5.39%、72.44±2.60%、217.26±7.42%和77.37±1.50%,均略高于Pt/C阴极MEC或与之媲美。另外,MoS₂/GQDs具有良好的长期稳定性,且价格便宜,有利于实际应用。     

MoS_2/TiO_2复合催化剂的制备及其在紫外光下的光催化制氢活性

为了研究复合光催化剂在光催化中的制氢效率,采用水热法制备了Mo S2纳米片,然后通过水热法在Mo S2纳米片上负载了TiO_2纳米颗粒,形成了Mo S2/TiO_2异质结复合催化剂。采用冷场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)、拉曼光谱(Raman),X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对材料的结构和光学性能表征并进行分析。通过光催化制氢测试对光催化剂进行评价,实验结果表明,在波长为365 nm的紫外光照射下,最高光催化制氢速率为1004μmol·h-1·g-1,对应的催化剂的Mo S2含量为30%,其催化速率远大于单一的Mo S2和TiO_2,表明Mo S2/TiO_2复合催化剂在紫外光照下能显著提高光催化产氢性能。基于Mo S2/TiO_2复合光催化剂优越的光催化产氢性能,本文对复合光催化剂的产氢机理做了研究和分析。     

Co9S8/MoS2异质结构的构筑及电催化析氢性能研究

利用前驱物形貌导向法,成功制备了Co₉S₈/MoS₂异质结构催化剂,该催化剂在碱性析氢反应（HER）中表现出优异的催化活性及稳定性,其在10 mA·cm^-2处的过电势仅为84 mV.通过X射线粉末衍射（XRD）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、电子自旋共振（ESR）、拉曼光谱（Raman）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）和同步辐射（XAFS）等表征,证明了CoS₂/MoS₂在H₂氛围下煅烧形成Co₉S₈/MoS₂的过程中,CoS₂中Co的配位模式从部分八面体向Co₉S₈中的四面体转变,这种转变可活化MoS₂的惰性平面,从而使其更有利于吸附H^*.除此之外,接触角数据表明：该催化剂具有良好的亲水性,有利于电解液渗透及气体分子的迅速扩散,从而促进HER反应速率.由于异质结构间具有强烈的相互作用,该催化剂可表现出良好的结构稳定性.本工作基于Co₉S₈/MoS₂异质结构的成功构筑及对其HER催化机理的充分探讨,为后续硫化物异质结及其在电催化中的应用提供了良好的思路和研究基础.     

High‐Resolution Electrochemical Mapping of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Transition‐Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets

High‐resolution scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) is used to image and quantitatively analyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytically active sites of 1H‐MoS₂ nanosheets, MoS₂, and WS₂ heteronanosheets. Using a 20 nm radius nanopipette and hopping mode scanning, the resolution of SECCM was beyond the optical microscopy limit and visualized a small triangular MoS₂ nanosheet with a side length of ca. 130 nm. The electrochemical cell provides local cyclic voltammograms with a nanoscale spatial resolution for visualizing HER active sites as electrochemical images. The HER activity difference of edge, terrace, and heterojunction of MoS₂ and WS₂ were revealed. The SECCM imaging directly visualized the relationship of HER activity and number of MoS₂ nanosheet layers and unveiled the heterogeneous aging state of MoS₂ nanosheets. SECCM can be used for improving local HER activities by producing sulfur vacancies using electrochemical reaction at the selected region.     

An Efficient and Stable MoS2/Zn0.5Cd0.5S Nanocatalyst for Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution by water splitting is highly important for the application of hydrogen energy and the replacement of fossil fuel by solar energy, which needs the development of efficient catalysts with long-term catalytic stability under light irradiation in aqueous solution. Herein, Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S solid solution was synthesized by a metal–organic framework-templated strategy and then loaded with MoS₂ by a hydrothermal method to fabricate a MoS₂/Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S heterojunction for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The composition of MoS₂/Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S was fine-tuned to obtain the optimized 5 wt % MoS₂/Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S heterojunction, which showed a superior hydrogen evolution rate of 23.80 mmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ and steady photocatalytic stability over 25 h. The photocatalytic performance is due to the appropriate composition and the formation of an intimate interface between MoS₂ and Zn_0.5Cd_0.5S, which endows the photocatalyst with high light-harvesting ability and effective separation of photogenerated carriers.     

高导电性和催化活性的Janus-TiNbCO2析氢反应催化材料

探寻具有高导电性和高催化活性的析氢反应（HER）催化材料一直是可持续能源发展研究中的热点。Ti₂C具有表面活性位点多和优良的力学稳定性、导电性等,已成为潜在的制氢催化剂。然而,终端O修饰Ti₂C表面,会降低该材料的导电性,进而限制了电子在价带与导带间的输运。本研究通过Nb掺杂,构建双电层Janus-TiNbCO₂,并借助VASP软件研究了Janus-TiNbCO₂的能带结构、HER性能和HER反应路径过渡态。结果表明,Janus-TiNb-CO₂为导体材料,其在应力、氧空位缺陷和H*覆盖度的影响下,均表现出极优异的催化活性,计算获得的最优ΔG_H*值为0.02 eV。H*在Janus-TiNbCO₂上可能以Heyrovsky路径进行反应,该路径的迁移能势垒为0.23 eV。Janus-TiNbCO₂是一种具有HER应用前景的催化材料。     

双金属氮化物NiMoN析氢催化剂制备及其电解海水析氢性能的研究

电解水制氢是最具潜力的绿氢制备技术, 而高效析氢反应(HER)催化剂的开发对其大规模推广意义重大. 选用氯化镍和钼酸铵为镍源和钼源, 通过原位生长法获得NiMo双金属催化剂前驱体, 再以二腈二胺为氮源, 高温氮化-程序升温法制备了一系列NiMo_xN@NC催化剂(x代表钼酸铵和氯化镍的物质的量比), 并对催化剂进行了结构、形貌以及金属价态表征. 分别在1 mol/L KOH碱液以及模拟海水中分析了析氢(HER)性能. 结果表明, 碱液中NiMo_xN@NC催化剂均具有良好的电荷转移速率(R_ct<1 Ω), 具有较好的内在催化活性(Tafel斜率103~168 mV/dec). 其中, NiMo_0.75N@NC催化剂具有最高的极限电流(–178 mA/cm²), 最小的过电势η₁₀=0.164 V, η₁₀₀=0.448 V), 最高的内在催化活性, Tafel斜率只有103 mV/dec, 且具有较好的稳定性. 在海水中, 在10 mA/cm²和40 mA/cm²的负载电流下, NiMo_0.75N@NC催化剂依旧表现出了较好的稳定性.     

Unexpected Correlation Between Boron Chain Condensation and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) Activity in Highly Active Vanadium Borides: Enabling Predictions

Transition‐metal borides (TMBs) have recently attracted attention as excellent hydrogen evolution (HER) electrocatalysts in bulk crystalline materials. Herein, we show for the first time that VB and V₃B₄ have high electrocatalytic HER activity. Furthermore, we show that the HER activity (in 0.5 m H₂SO₄) increases with increasing boron chain condensation in vanadium borides: Using a ?23 mV overpotential decrement derived from ?0.296 mV (for VB at ?10 mA cm^?2 current density) and ?0.273 mV (for V₃B₄) we accurately predict the overpotential of VB₂ (?0.204 mV) as well as that of unstudied V₂B₃ (?0.250 mV) and hypothetical “V₅B₈” (?0.227 mV). We then derived an exponential equation that predicts the overpotentials of known and hypothetical V_xB_y phases containing at least a boron chain. These results provide a direct correlation between crystal structure and HER activity, thus paving the way for the design of even better electrocatalytic materials through structure–activity relationships.     

Precise Tuning of the Charge Transfer Kinetics and Catalytic Properties of MoS2 Materials via Electrochemical Methods

MoS₂ has become particularly popular for its catalytic properties towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). It has been shown that the metallic 1T phase of MoS₂, obtained by chemical exfoliation after lithium intercalation, possesses enhanced catalytic activity over the semiconducting 2H phase due to the improved conductivity properties which facilitate charge‐transfer kinetics. Here we demonstrate a simple electrochemical method to precisely tune the electron‐transfer kinetics as well as the catalytic properties of both exfoliated and bulk MoS₂‐based films. A controlled reductive or oxidative electrochemical treatment can alter the surface properties of the film with consequently improved or hampered electrochemical and catalytic properties compared to the untreated film. Density functional theory calculations were used to explain the electrochemical activation of MoS₂. The electrochemical tuning of electrocatalytic properties of MoS₂ opens the doors to scalable and facile tailoring of MoS₂‐based electrochemical devices.     

Cu Nanoparticles Electrodeposited at Liquid–Liquid Interfaces: A Highly Efficient Catalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

The electrochemical deposition of Cu nanoparticles with an average diameter of approximately 25–35 nm has been reported at liquid–liquid interfaces by using the organic‐phase electron‐donor decamethylferrocene (DMFc). The electrodeposited Cu nanoparticles display excellent catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER); this is the first reported catalytic effect of Cu nanoparticles at liquid–liquid interfaces.     

高比表面TiO2光催化剂的制备及产氢性能研究

以钛酸四丁酯为前驱体，十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)为模板剂合成了高比表面的TiO₂超细纳米粉体。采用XRD、TEM、BET分析方法对催化剂的物相、颗粒粒径及比表面积进行了表征，结果显示TiO₂的晶粒尺寸和比表面积与CTAB添加量和焙烧温度有关。重点考察了不同条件下制备的TiO₂系列光催化剂无氧条件下的光催化分解水产氢性能。实验结果表明，当CTAB与Ti的投料的物质的量之比为0.15，焙烧温度为450 ℃时，获得的晶粒尺寸为5.73 nm、比表面为150 m²·g^-1的TiO₂粉体具有最好的光催化产氢活性，测得的3 h内平均产氢速率为12.5 mL·h^-1。     

Ni2P Interlayer and Mn Doping Synergistically Expedite the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Kinetics of Co2P

Transition metal phosphide is regarded as one of the most promising candidates to replace noble-metal hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. Nevertheless, the controllable design and synthesis of transition metal phosphide electrocatalysts with efficient and stable electrochemical performance are still very challenging. Herein, a novel hierarchical HER electrocatalyst consisting of three-dimensional (3D) coral-like Mn-doped Co₂P@an intermediate layer of Ni₂P generated in situ by phosphorization on Ni foam (MnCoP/NiP/NF) is reported. Notably, both the incorporation of Mn and introduction of the Ni₂P interlayer promote Co atoms to carry more electrons, which is beneficial to reduce the force of the Co−H bond and optimize the adsorption energy of hydrogen intermediate (|ΔG_H*|), thereby making MnCoP/NiP/NF exhibit outstanding HER performance with onset overpotential and Tafel slope as low as 31.2 mV and 61 mV dec⁻¹, respectively, in 1 m KOH electrolyte.     

Electrochemical Properties of a Rhodium(III) Mono-Terpyridyl Complex and Use as a Catalyst for Light-Driven Hydrogen Evolution in Water

Molecular hydrogen (H₂) is considered one of the most promising fuels to decarbonize the industrial and transportation sectors, and its photocatalytic production from molecular catalysts is a research field that is still abounding. The search for new molecular catalysts for H₂ production with simple and easily synthesized ligands is still ongoing, and the terpyridine ligand with its particular electronic and coordination properties, is a good candidate to design new catalysts meeting these requirements. Herein, we have isolated the new mono-terpyridyl rhodium complex, [Rh^III(tpy)(CH₃CN)Cl₂](CF₃SO₃) (Rh-tpy), and shown that it can act as a catalyst for the light-induced proton reduction into H₂ in water in the presence of the [Ru(bpy)₃]Cl₂ (Ru) photosensitizer and ascorbate as sacrificial electron donor. Under photocatalytic conditions, in acetate buffer at pH 4.5 with 0.1 M of ascorbate and 530 μM of Ru, the Rh-tpy catalyst produces H₂ with turnover number versus catalyst (TON_Cat*) of 300 at a Rh concentration of 10 μM, and up to 1000 at a concentration of 1 μM. The photocatalytic performance of Ru/Rh-tpy/HA^–/H₂A has been also compared with that obtained with the bis-dimethyl-bipyridyl complex [Rh^III(dmbpy)₂Cl₂]⁺ (Rh2) as a catalyst in the same experimental conditions. The investigation of the electrochemical properties of Rh-tpy in DMF solvent reveals that the two-electrons reduced state of the complex, the square-planar [Rh^I(tpy)Cl] (Rh^I-tpy), is quantitatively electrogenerated by bulk electrolysis. This complex is stable for hours under an inert atmosphere owing to the π-acceptor property of the terpyridine ligand that stabilizes the low oxidation states of the rhodium, making this catalyst less prone to degrade during photocatalysis. The π-acceptor property of terpyridine also confers to the Rh-tpy catalyst a moderately negative reduction potential (Ep_c(Rh^III/Rh^I) = −0.83 V vs. SCE in DMF), making possible its reduction by the reduced state of Ru, [Ru^II(bpy)(bpy^•−)]⁺ (Ru⁻) (E_1/2(Ru^II/Ru⁻) = −1.50 V vs. SCE) generated by a reductive quenching of the Ru excited state (*Ru) by ascorbate during photocatalysis. A Stern–Volmer plot and transient absorption spectroscopy confirmed that the first step of the photocatalytic process is the reductive quenching of *Ru by ascorbate. The resulting reduced Ru species (Ru⁻) were then able to activate the Rh^III-tpy H₂-evolving catalyst by reduction generating Rh^I-tpy, which can react with a proton on a sub-nanosecond time scale to form a Rh^III(H)-tpy hydride, the key intermediate for H₂ evolution.     

Disodium Hydrogen Phosphate as an Efficient and Cheap Catalyst for the Synthesis of 2-Aminochromenes

An efficient and convenient method for the synthesis of 2-aminochromene by the one-pot, three-component reaction of an aromatic aldehyde, malononitrile, and α- or β-naphthol in the presence of a catalytic amount of disodium hydrogen phosphate under solvent-free conditions is described.