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Electron Donors in the Intertwined Interface Restore Oxy-Substituted Selenides
Yuanhe Sun1, Junwei Yang2, Wei Zhang1
1Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201204, China.
Researchers discovered reversible selenium chemistry in inorganic metal selenides, mimicking nature's antioxidant element. This breakthrough in reversible redox reactions opens new possibilities for selenide applications in aqueous systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
Background:
- Nature utilizes selenium as a key antioxidant element in proteins, enabling reversible redox states.
- Reversible redox chemistry in inorganic selenides has remained largely unexplored despite its biological significance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate reversible conversion between oxidized and selenized forms in inorganic metal selenides.
- To explore the potential of mild electrochemical manipulation for achieving this reversibility.
Main Methods:
- Electrochemical manipulation in a copper aqueous solution.
- Synchrotron measurements to analyze localized lattice and bond structure.
- Investigating vanadium diselenide and manganese diselenides/selenides.
Main Results:
- Successfully restored oxy-substituted sites in metal selenides to selenized forms reversibly.
- Identified a copper-mediated electron transfer mechanism via an O-V-Se-Cu bridge.
- Demonstrated generalized reversibility in vanadium and manganese selenides.
Conclusions:
- Achieved unprecedented reversible redox chemistry in inorganic selenides.
- The findings suggest a new pathway for designing advanced selenide materials for aqueous applications.
- This work paves the way for utilizing selenides in diverse electrochemical systems.
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