1T/1H-SnS

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Rational design of highly active two-dimensional (2D) electrocatalysts requires understanding their catalytic mechanisms.
• Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction is a key process for sustainable energy and chemical production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the element dependence of reactivity in 2D metal dichalcogenide sheets for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction.
• To identify the catalytically active sites and understand the mechanism of CO2 reduction on SnS2.

Main Methods:

• Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction experiments were performed.
• Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM) was used to probe local reactivity.
• Theoretical calculations were employed to understand the electronic and structural properties.

Main Results:

• Tin(IV) disulfide (SnS2) sheets demonstrated a high Faradaic efficiency of 63.3% for formic acid production.
• Molybdenum(IV) disulfide (MoS2) sheets showed negligible efficiency (∼0%) for formic acid.
• SECCM and theoretical calculations identified terraces and edges of SnS2 as catalytically active sites.

Conclusions:

• The element choice in 2D metal dichalcogenides significantly impacts their performance in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction.
• SnS2's high activity is attributed to the effective utilization of its entire surface area, including terraces and edges.
• This study provides insights for designing efficient 2D electrocatalysts for energy-efficient CO2 conversion and other energy devices.