Boosting Electro- and Photo-Catalytic Activities in Atomically Thin Nanomaterials by Heterointerface Engineering

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Atomically thin materials (ATMs) exhibit unique properties due to their atomic thickness (<5 nm).
• ATMs offer advantages like high surface area, exposed active sites, and efficient atom utilization.
• Current ATM advancements focus on structural chemistry, with limited recognition of heterointerface engineering's potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize design principles for heterointerfacial ATMs.
• To present strategies for manipulating interfacial structure and catalytic properties.
• To provide an overview of applications in energy conversion and storage.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on heterointerface engineering in ATMs.
• Analysis of design strategies for interfacial structure manipulation.
• Compilation of ATM applications in energy conversion and storage.

Main Results:

• Heterointerface engineering is a crucial strategy to overcome limitations in ATM property enhancement.
• Bi- or multi-component construction of heterointerfaces is key for improved performance.
• Established correlations between interfacial modulation, properties, and applications.

Conclusions:

• Heterointerface engineering significantly enhances ATM properties for energy applications.
• Further exploration of interfacial ATMs is needed for novel functionalities.
• Future research should focus on unexplored directions in interfacial ATM development.