Large‐Substrate‐Terrace Confined Growth of Arrayed Ultrathin PtSe2 Ribbons on Step‐Bunched Vicinal Au(001) Facets Toward Electrocatalytic Applications

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2024-09, Vol.20 (38), p.e2401770-n/a
• Main Authors: Fu, Jiatian, Li, Chenyu, Wu, Qilong, Hu, Jingyi, Lu, Yue, Quan, Wenzhi, Peng, You, Wang, Xiangzhuo, Yang, Pengfei, Huan, Yahuan, Ji, Qingqing, Zhang, Yanfeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: arrayed ribbons; Chemical synthesis; Chemical vapor deposition; Density functional theory; Electrocatalysts; Gold; hydrogen evolution reaction; Hydrogen evolution reactions; Physical properties; PtSe2; Ribbons; scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy; Substrates; Tapes (metallic)
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401770

Ultrathin PtSe2 ribbons can host spin‐polarized edge states and distinct edge electrocatalytic activity, emerging as a promising candidate for versatile applications in various fields. However, the direct synthesis is still challenging and the growth mechanism is still unclear. Herein, the arrayed growth of ultrathin PtSe2 ribbons on bunched vicinal Au(001) facets, via a facile chemical vapor deposition (CVD) route is reported. The ultrathin PtSe2 flakes can transform from traditional irregular shapes to desired ribbon shapes by increasing the height of bunched and unidirectionally oriented Au steps (with step height hstep) is found. This crossover, occurring at hstep ≈ 3.0 nm, defines the tailored growth from step‐flow to single‐terrace‐confined modes, as validated by density functional theory calculations of the different system energies. On the millimeter‐scale single‐crystal Au(001) films with aligned steps, the arrayed ultrathin PtSe2 ribbons with tunable width of ≈20–1000 nm, which are then served as prototype electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is achieved. This work should represent a huge leap in the direct synthesis and the mechanism exploration of arrayed ultrathin transition‐metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) ribbons, which should stimulate further explorations of the edge‐related physical properties and practical applications. The arrayed growth of ultrathin PtSe2 ribbons with tunable widths of ≈20–1000 nm on vicinal Au(001) facets with bunched nanometer‐scale high steps, via a chemical vapor deposition route. The internal growth mechanism of single‐terrace confinement with bunched step heights ≥3.0 nm is clarified. This work represents a leap in the direct synthesis and mechanistic understanding of ultrathin arrayed ribbons.