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Ultrapure Molybdenum Disulfide Shows Enhanced Catalysis for Hydrogen Evolution over Impurities‐Doped Counterpart
Author(s) -
Toh Rou Jun,
Sofer Zdenek,
Luxa Jan,
Pumera Martin
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemcatchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1867-3899
pISSN - 1867-3880
DOI - 10.1002/cctc.201601561
Subject(s) - molybdenum disulfide , catalysis , doping , nanotechnology , impurity , materials science , dopant , ultrapure water , transition metal , hydrogen , chemical physics , chemistry , organic chemistry , optoelectronics , metallurgy
The development of electrocatalysts to meet the requirements of renewable energy applications has seen much attention placed on transition‐metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials owing to their promising properties. In particular, the strategy of atomic doping has garnered some success in tuning the electronic properties and harnessing the vast potential that TMDs can offer in the catalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Moreover, with computational studies reporting the promising effects of transition‐metal doping, such a strategy has been adopted with much enthusiasm. Herein, we consider one of the most prevalent TMDs, that is, MoS 2 , and the possible presence of impurities arising from its preparation method and starting materials that may act as dopants to affect its electronic and catalytic properties. An ultrapure MoS 2 material was synthesized and compared with a relatively impure MoS 2 sample obtained commercially. Ultrapure MoS 2 was found to outperform its impurities‐doped counterpart in HER catalysis. These findings not only provide valuable insight into the influence of parts‐per‐million concentrations of impurities on the catalytic activity of TMD materials but also highlight the importance of the intentional and proper design of atomic doping to realize its true effects. At the same time, the need for a more in‐depth understanding and evaluation of the benefits of the atomic‐doping strategy in the experimental setting as a means to harness the potential of TMDs as catalysts for hydrogen evolution is also revealed.