Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets with Multiple Vacancies Obtained by Dry Exfoliation as Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts. Issue 21 (21st April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Yanyong; Zhang, Yiqiong; Liu, Zhijuan; Xie, Chao; Feng, Shi; Liu, Dongdong; Shao, Mingfei; Wang, Shuangyin
• Is Part Of: Angewandte Chemie international edition. Volume 56:Issue 21(2017)
• Page Start: 5867
• Page End: 5871
• Publication Date: 2017-04-21
• Subjects: cobalt -- dry exfoliation -- iron -- layered double hydroxides -- oxygen evolution -- ultrathin nanosheets; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201701477
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1433-7851

Abstract

Abstract: Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with two‐dimensional lamellar structures show excellent electrocatalytic properties. However, the catalytic activity of LDHs needs to be further improved as the large lateral size and thickness of the bulk material limit the number of exposed active sites. However, the development of efficient strategies to exfoliate bulk LDHs into stable monolayer LDH nanosheets with more exposed active sites is very challenging. On the other hand, the intrinsic activity of monolayer LDH nanosheets can be tuned by surface engineering. Herein, we have exfoliated bulk CoFe LDHs into ultrathin LDH nanosheets through Ar plasma etching, which also resulted in the formation of multiple vacancies (including O, Co, and Fe vacancies) in the ultrathin 2D nanosheets. Owing to their ultrathin 2D structure, the LDH nanosheets expose a greater number of active sites, and the multiple vacancies significantly improve the intrinsic activity in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Abstract : Thinner and thinner : The dry exfoliation of bulk CoFe layered double hydroxides into ultrathin nanosheets with multiple vacancies was achieved by argon plasma etching to disrupt the intrinsic interlayer electrostatic interactions. These nanosheets are superior electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction.