Design of Phosphorene for Hydrogen Evolution Performance Comparable to Platinum

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that defective phosphorene exhibits hydrogen evolution reaction activity comparable to platinum, achieved through atomic-scale defect engineering that activates hydrogen adsorption.

Contribution

The paper reveals that atomic vacancies and edges in phosphorene significantly enhance HER activity, offering a new pathway for designing non-metal catalysts.

Findings

Defective phosphorene shows ultrahigh HER activity.

Vacancies and edges activate hydrogen adsorption.

Hydrogen free energy approaches thermoneutral condition.

Abstract

Phosphorene, a monolayer of bulk black phosphorus, is promising for light harvest owing to its high charge mobility and tunable direct band gap covering a broad spectral range of light. Here, via atomic-scale first-principles simulations, we report a ultrahigh activity of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of phosphorene originated from defective activation. Quantitative evaluation of the Gibbs free energy of the ad desorption of hydrogen (H) to from phosphorene (delta_GH) reveals that atomic vacancies and edges play a dominant role in activating the reaction. We find that the defective states, empty and well-localized around the defect core, are compensated by H species. This induces a proper hydrogen interaction complying with the thermoneutral condition of the free energy (delta_GH=0) comparable to platinum. Our findings of the highly activating defective states suggest the design of non-metal HER catalysts with structural engineering of earth-abundant phosphorus structures.