Vertically aligned 1T-phase PtSe2 on flexible carbon cloth for efficient and stable hydrogen evolution reaction

Two-dimensional (2D) 1T-phase transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have been considered as ideal candidate electrocatalysts compared to their 2H-phase counterpart. However, their practical applications are hugely limited by unsatisfactory yields and air instability. Here, we reported a simple and facile approach to fabricate large-area layer-tunable 1T-phase PtSe2 films with rich active edges on carbon cloth (1T-PtSe2@CC) through a thermally assisted transformation of sputtered Pt films for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic media, and systematically studied the influence of layer thickness on the HER performance. The vertically aligned layer structures of 1T-PtSe2 with numerous active edges, combined with the highly conductive CC substrate, ensured high electron transfer efficiency. From the electrochemical characterization, we found that the binder-free electrode of 1T-PtSe2@CC with a 51.1-nm-thick PtSe2 film exhibited a low overpotential of 177 mV at a current density of -10 mA cm(-2) and a favourable Tafel slope of 67 mV dec(-1) with good stability, which are much better than those of most of the 2D materials used for HER systems. These findings signify that the large-scale growth of edge-rich 1T-PtSe2 holds great promise for high-performance HER applications.

Automated summary

In this study, large-area layer-tunable 1T-phase PtSe2 films with rich active edges were fabricated on carbon cloth, demonstrating excellent performance as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic media. The vertically aligned layer structures of 1T-PtSe2 combined with a highly conductive CC substrate ensured high electron transfer efficiency, resulting in low overpotential and favorable Tafel slope for HER. These findings suggest that the large-scale growth of edge-rich 1T-PtSe2 holds great promise for high-performance HER applications.