Self-assembled 2D WSe2 thin films for photoelectrochemical hydrogen production

Xiaoyun Yu, Mathieu S. Prévot, Néstor Guijarro and Kevin Sivula ()
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Xiaoyun Yu: Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Optoelectronic Nanomaterials, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH H4 565
Mathieu S. Prévot: Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Optoelectronic Nanomaterials, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH H4 565
Néstor Guijarro: Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Optoelectronic Nanomaterials, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH H4 565
Kevin Sivula: Laboratory for Molecular Engineering of Optoelectronic Nanomaterials, Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 6, CH H4 565

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract WSe2—a layered semiconductor that can be exfoliated into atomically thin two-dimensional sheets—offers promising characteristics for application in solar energy conversion. However, the lack of controllable, cost-effective methods to scalably fabricate homogeneous thin films currently limits practical application. Here we present a technique to prepare controlled thin films of 2D WSe2 from dispersions of solvent-exfoliated few-layer flakes. Flake self-assembly at a liquid/liquid interface (formed exceptionally from two non-solvents for WSe2) followed by substrate transfer affords large-area thin films with superior 2D flake alignment compared with traditional (liquid/air) self-assembly techniques. We further demonstrate, for the first time, solar-to-hydrogen conversion from solution-processed WSe2 thin films. Bare photoelectrodes with a thickness of ca. 25 nm exhibit sustained p-type photocurrent under simulated solar illumination, and up to 1.0 mA cm–2 at 0 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode with an added water reduction catalyst (Pt). The importance of the self-assembled morphology is established by photoelectrochemical and conductivity measurements.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8596

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