Electrocatalytic Activity of a 2D Phosphorene‐Based Heteroelectrocatalyst for Photoelectrochemical Cells

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 57; no. 10; pp. 2644 - 2647
• Main Authors: Batmunkh, Munkhbayar, Shrestha, Aabhash, Bat‐Erdene, Munkhjargal, Nine, Md Julker, Shearer, Cameron J., Gibson, Christopher T., Slattery, Ashley D., Tawfik, Sherif Abdulkader, Ford, Michael J., Dai, Sheng, Qiao, Shizhang, Shapter, Joseph G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2018
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: 2D materials; black phosphorus; Carbon nanotubes; Cobalt; Dye-sensitized solar cells; electrocatalysis; Electrocatalysts; Energy storage; Nanotubes; Nitrogen; Phosphorene; Phosphorus; photochemistry; Photoelectrochemical devices; Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaics; Platinum; Sheets; Solar cells; Storage systems; Sulfides; Sulfur; black phosphorus; solar cells; photochemistry; electrocatalysis; 2D materials
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201712280

Research into efficient synthesis, fundamental properties, and potential applications of phosphorene is currently the subject of intense investigation. Herein, solution‐processed phosphorene or few‐layer black phosphorus (FL‐BP) sheets are prepared using a microwave exfoliation method and used in photoelectrochemical cells. Based on experimental and theoretical (DFT) studies, the FL‐BP sheets are found to act as catalytically active sites and show excellent electrocatalytic activity for triiodide reduction in dye‐sensitized solar cells. Importantly, the device fabricated based on the newly designed cobalt sulfide (CoSx) decorated nitrogen and sulfur co‐doped carbon nanotube heteroelectrocatalyst coated with FL‐BP (FL‐BP@N,S‐doped CNTs‐CoSx) displayed an impressive photovoltaic efficiency of 8.31 %, outperforming expensive platinum based cells. This work paves the way for using phosphorene‐based electrocatalysts for next‐generation energy‐storage systems. Phosphorene sheets have been produced based on microwave‐assisted liquid‐phase phase exfoliation. Their electrocatalytic activities are investigated experimentally and theoretically. Solar cells fabricated with phosphorene‐based heteroelectrocatalyst outperforms the expensive platinum‐based devices.