Investigating the role of undercoordinated Pt sites at the surface of layered PtTe for methanol decomposition.

Transition metal dichalcogenides, by virtue of their two-dimensional structures, could provide the largest active surface for reactions with minimal materials consumed, which has long been pursued in the design of ideal catalysts. Nevertheless, their structurally perfect basal planes are typically inert; their surface defects, such as under-coordinated atoms at the surfaces or edges, can instead serve as catalytically active centers. Here we show a reaction probability > 90 % for adsorbed methanol (CHOH) on under-coordinated Pt sites at surface Te vacancies, produced with Ar bombardment, on layered PtTe - approximately 60 % of the methanol decompose to surface intermediates CHO (x = 2, 3) and 35 % to CH (x = 1, 2), and an ultimate production of gaseous molecular hydrogen, methane, water and formaldehyde.

Toward Perfect Surfaces of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides with Ion Bombardment and Annealing Treatment.

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are two-dimensional materials exhibiting a variety of unique features with great potential for electronic and optoelectronic applications. The performance of devices fabricated with mono or few-layer TMD materials, nevertheless, is significantly affected by surface defects in the TMD materials. Recent efforts have been focused on delicate control of growth conditions to reduce the defect density, whereas the preparation of a defect-free surface remains challenging.