One-step and low-temperature synthesis of iodine-doped graphene and its multifunctional applications for hydrogen evolution reaction and electrochemical sensing

• Published in: Electrochimica acta 2017-08, Vol.246, p.1155-1162
• Main Authors: Chu, Ke, Wang, Fan, Zhao, Xiao-lin, Wei, Xiao-ping, Wang, Xin-wei, Tian, Ye
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical synthesis; Detection; Dopamine; Doping; Electrocatalysis; Electrochemical dopamine sensor; Electron transfer; Graphene; Hydrogen; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Hydrogen evolution reactions; Iodine; Iodine-doped graphene; Low temperature; Studies
• ISSN: 0013-4686; 1873-3859
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.07.001

[Display omitted] Iodine (I) has emerged as a powerful heteroatom dopant for efficiently tailoring the electrocatalytic properties of graphene. However, the preparation methods of I-doped graphene (I-G) and its electrocatalysis applications remain largely unexplored. Herein, a one-step and low-temperature hydrothermal approach was developed for the successful synthesis of I-G with a high I-doping level (0.52 at.%). The resulting I-G was then applied as a metal-free catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and electrochemical sensing. It was shown that the I-G exhibited a dramatically enhanced HER activity compared to undoped graphene, attributed to the critical role of I-doping in offering large exposed active sites and high electron transfer capability. Furthermore, I-G also displayed attractive sensing performances for highly sensitive and selective detection of dopamine. These findings demonstrate that the hydrothermally synthesized I-G can be a promising electrocatalyst for multifunctional applications in water-splitting and electrochemical sensing.