Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Unraveling the effects of surface functionalization on the catalytic activity of ReSe2 nanostructures towards the hydrogen evolution reaction

Ndala, Zakhele B. ; Nkabinde, Siyabonga S. ; Shumbula, Ndivhuwo P. ; Makgae, Ofentse A. LU ; Kolokoto, Tshwarela ; Ek, Martin LU orcid ; Gqoba, Siziwe S. ; Linganiso, Cebisa E. ; Mdluli, Phumlane S. and Moloto, Nosipho (2023) In Applied Surface Science 612.
Abstract

Herein, the surface functionalization of ReSe2 nanostructures by surfactants was investigated. This was done to understand how the use of various surfactants affects the catalytic activity of ReSe2 nanostructures towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and to determine which surfactant would result in maximal exposure of the active edge sites without impeding the catalytic processes of the HER. Oleylamine (OLA), oleic acid (OA), and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) were used as the surfactants. Powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of ReSe2 nanostructures that crystallized in a distorted 1 T phase triclinic system with a P-1 space group. The FTIR, XPS, NMR, and computational studies... (More)

Herein, the surface functionalization of ReSe2 nanostructures by surfactants was investigated. This was done to understand how the use of various surfactants affects the catalytic activity of ReSe2 nanostructures towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and to determine which surfactant would result in maximal exposure of the active edge sites without impeding the catalytic processes of the HER. Oleylamine (OLA), oleic acid (OA), and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) were used as the surfactants. Powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of ReSe2 nanostructures that crystallized in a distorted 1 T phase triclinic system with a P-1 space group. The FTIR, XPS, NMR, and computational studies revealed that the surfactants bind to the surface of the ReSe2 nanostructures through their respective head groups. The ReSe2 nanostructures synthesized using TOPO (ReSe2-TOPO) had the lowest on-set potential, Tafel slope, and overpotential at 10 mA/cm2 at 73 mV, 58 mV/dec, and 171 mV, respectively. The catalytic performance of the nanostructures was significantly affected by their interaction with the surfactants. A high degree of passivation by the surfactant resulted in poor catalytic activity, and a lower degree of passivation resulted in excellent catalytic activity towards the HER.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
2D nanomaterials, Colloidal synthesis, Functionalization, Hydrogen evolution reaction, Rhenium diselenide
in
Applied Surface Science
volume
612
article number
155971
pages
12 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85143764812
ISSN
0169-4332
DOI
10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.155971
project
Understanding of Catalysts for Climate-Neutral Chemicals by in situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Characterization
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Funding Information: The authors would like to thank the University of the Witwatersrand, school of chemistry, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) for funding this work. In addition, the authors will like to thank the Wits Microscope and Microanalysis Unit for access to XRD and TEM. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.
id
f6d4e58a-05c8-4547-8aed-16f55a61fe50
date added to LUP
2023-03-09 21:35:56
date last changed
2023-12-07 09:14:52
@article{f6d4e58a-05c8-4547-8aed-16f55a61fe50,
  abstract     = {{<p>Herein, the surface functionalization of ReSe<sub>2</sub> nanostructures by surfactants was investigated. This was done to understand how the use of various surfactants affects the catalytic activity of ReSe<sub>2</sub> nanostructures towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and to determine which surfactant would result in maximal exposure of the active edge sites without impeding the catalytic processes of the HER. Oleylamine (OLA), oleic acid (OA), and trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) were used as the surfactants. Powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of ReSe<sub>2</sub> nanostructures that crystallized in a distorted 1 T phase triclinic system with a P-1 space group. The FTIR, XPS, NMR, and computational studies revealed that the surfactants bind to the surface of the ReSe<sub>2</sub> nanostructures through their respective head groups. The ReSe<sub>2</sub> nanostructures synthesized using TOPO (ReSe<sub>2</sub>-TOPO) had the lowest on-set potential, Tafel slope, and overpotential at 10 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> at 73 mV, 58 mV/dec, and 171 mV, respectively. The catalytic performance of the nanostructures was significantly affected by their interaction with the surfactants. A high degree of passivation by the surfactant resulted in poor catalytic activity, and a lower degree of passivation resulted in excellent catalytic activity towards the HER.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ndala, Zakhele B. and Nkabinde, Siyabonga S. and Shumbula, Ndivhuwo P. and Makgae, Ofentse A. and Kolokoto, Tshwarela and Ek, Martin and Gqoba, Siziwe S. and Linganiso, Cebisa E. and Mdluli, Phumlane S. and Moloto, Nosipho}},
  issn         = {{0169-4332}},
  keywords     = {{2D nanomaterials; Colloidal synthesis; Functionalization; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Rhenium diselenide}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{03}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Applied Surface Science}},
  title        = {{Unraveling the effects of surface functionalization on the catalytic activity of ReSe<sub>2</sub> nanostructures towards the hydrogen evolution reaction}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.155971}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.155971}},
  volume       = {{612}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}