Laser Annealing Improves the Photoelectrochemical Activity of Ultrathin MoSe₂ Photoelectrodes

Understanding light-matter interactions in transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is critical for optoelectronic device applications. Several studies have shown that high intensity light irradiation can tune the optical and physical properties of pristine TMDs. The enhancement in optoelectronic properties has been attributed to a so-called laser annealing effect that heals chalcogen vacancies. However, it is unknown whether laser annealing improves functional properties such as photocatalytic activity. Here, we show that high intensity supra band gap illumination improves the photoelectrochemical activity of MoSe₂ nanosheets for iodide oxidation in indium doped tin oxide/MoSe₂/I^-, I₃^-/Pt liquid junction solar cells. Ensemble-level photoelectrochemical measurements show that, on average, illuminating MoSe₂ thin films with 1 W/cm² 532 nm excitation increases the photoelectrochemical current by 142% and shifts the photocurrent response to more favorable (negative) potentials. Scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy measurements reveal that pristine bilayer (2L)-MoSe₂, trilayer (3L)-MoSe₂, and multilayer-thick nanosheets are initially inactive for iodide oxidation. The light treatment activates 2L-MoSe₂ and 3L-MoSe₂ materials, and the activation process initiates at the edge sites. The photocurrent enhancement is more significant for 2L-MoSe₂ than for 1L-MoSe₂. Multilayer-thick MoSe₂ remains inactive for iodide oxidation even after the laser treatment. Our microscopy measurements reveal that the laser-induced enhancement effect depends critically on MoSe₂ layer thickness. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements further show that the laser treatment oxidizes Mo(IV) species that are initially associated with Se vacancies. Ambient oxygen fills the Se vacancies and removes trap states, thereby increasing the overall photogenerated carrier collection efficiency. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first report on using laser to enhance the photoelectrocatalytic properties of few-layer-thick TMDs. The simple and rapid laser annealing procedure is a promising strategy to tune the reactivity of TMD-based photoelectrochemical cells for electricity and chemical fuel production.