Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted huge attention in the last decade due to their promising applications in several fields of heterogeneous catalysis. In particular, structural and electronic properties of MoS2 have boosted its application in various electrocatalytic processes at the heart of renewable energy technology (i.e. Hydrogen Evolution and Oxygen Reduction Reactions) as a valuable and cheap alternative to the benchmark Pt-based catalysts. Many strategies have been developed to date to enhance the poor electrochemical activity of pristine MoS2.1 Among them, doping and chemical modification of the surface/edges of MoS2 nanosheets with light heteroatoms (i.e. O, N, P) have remarkably enhanced their efficiency. However, despite of great research efforts, preparing tailored hetero-doped MoS2 samples through a rational bottom-up synthesis of novel "hybrid" composites, still remains a challenging matter in the field of catalysis and material science. Covalent decoration of MoS2 flakes with selected organic groups could represent a convenient way to meet with this challenging issue. Although several MoS2 functionalization strategies have been reported, effective and easy tunable protocols for its surface decoration are still lacking. On this ground, we developed a convenient and highly efficient methodology for the anchoring of aryl-azido groups to MoS2 nanosheets. Their subsequent post-synthetic modification via "click chemistry" with terminal acetylenes has been used to generate homo- and hetero-decorated MoS2 flakes. As a further step-forward towards the simple and versatile MoS2 engineering, a new functionalization strategy based on the single-step anchoring of differently substituted epoxyde derivatives has been settled up. Overall, these studies represent a milestone towards the fine tuning of TMDCs chemico-physical and electronic properties, thus prompting their use in the field of renewable energy technology.
Surface Engineering of MoS2 with Tailored Functional Groups: a Rational Design of Heterogeneous Catalysts for Renewable Energy Applications
Giulia Tuci;Lapo Luconi;Andrea Rossin;Giuliano Giambastiani
2020
Abstract
Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted huge attention in the last decade due to their promising applications in several fields of heterogeneous catalysis. In particular, structural and electronic properties of MoS2 have boosted its application in various electrocatalytic processes at the heart of renewable energy technology (i.e. Hydrogen Evolution and Oxygen Reduction Reactions) as a valuable and cheap alternative to the benchmark Pt-based catalysts. Many strategies have been developed to date to enhance the poor electrochemical activity of pristine MoS2.1 Among them, doping and chemical modification of the surface/edges of MoS2 nanosheets with light heteroatoms (i.e. O, N, P) have remarkably enhanced their efficiency. However, despite of great research efforts, preparing tailored hetero-doped MoS2 samples through a rational bottom-up synthesis of novel "hybrid" composites, still remains a challenging matter in the field of catalysis and material science. Covalent decoration of MoS2 flakes with selected organic groups could represent a convenient way to meet with this challenging issue. Although several MoS2 functionalization strategies have been reported, effective and easy tunable protocols for its surface decoration are still lacking. On this ground, we developed a convenient and highly efficient methodology for the anchoring of aryl-azido groups to MoS2 nanosheets. Their subsequent post-synthetic modification via "click chemistry" with terminal acetylenes has been used to generate homo- and hetero-decorated MoS2 flakes. As a further step-forward towards the simple and versatile MoS2 engineering, a new functionalization strategy based on the single-step anchoring of differently substituted epoxyde derivatives has been settled up. Overall, these studies represent a milestone towards the fine tuning of TMDCs chemico-physical and electronic properties, thus prompting their use in the field of renewable energy technology.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
