Growth of 1T ' MoTe2 by thermally assisted conversion of electrodeposited tellurium films

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Date
2018-12-05
Authors
Mc Manus, John B.
Cunningham, Graeme
McEvoy, Niall
Cullen, Conor P.
Gity, Farzan
Schmidt, Michael
McAteer, David
Mullarkey, Daragh
Shvets, Igor V.
Hurley, Paul K.
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American Chemical Society
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Abstract
Molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) is a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) which has two phases stable under ambient conditions, a semiconducting (2H) and semimetallic (1T') phase. Despite a host of interesting properties and potential applications, MoTe2 is one of the less-studied TMDs, perhaps due its relatively low abundance in nature or challenges associated with its synthesis, such as the toxicity of most precursors. In this report, we describe the fabrication of thin films of phase-pure IT' MoTe2 using predeposited molybdenum and electrodeposited tellurium layers, at the relatively low temperature of 450 C. This method allows control over film geometry and over the tellurium concentration during the conversion. The MoTe2 films are characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and electron microscopies. When applied as a catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, the films display promising initial results. The MoTe2 films have a Tafel slope of below 70 mV dec(-1) and compare favorably with other MoTe2 catalysts reported in the literature, especially considering the inherently scalable fabrication method. The variation in electrocatalytic behavior with thickness and morphology of the films is also investigated.
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Hydrogen evolution reaction , Transition-metal dichalcogenides , Vapor-deposition growth , Ultrathin nanosheets , Layer mote2 , MOS2 , Electrocatalysis , Nanosheets , MoTe2 , 1T′ phase thin-film , Raman spectroscopy , Electrocatalysis , Hydrogen evolution reaction
Citation
Mc Manus, J. B., Cunningham, G., McEvoy, N., Cullen, C. P., Gity, F., Schmidt, M., McAteer, D., Mullarkey, D., Shvets, I. V., Hurley, P. K., Hallam, T., Duesberg, G. S. (2019) 'Growth of 1T ' MoTe2 by Thermally Assisted Conversion of Electrodeposited Tellurium Films', ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2, pp. 521-530. doi: 10.1021/acsaem.8b01540