Effect of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Doping of Reduced Graphene Oxide in the Hydrogen Evolution Catalytic Activity of Supported Ru Nanoparticles.

Three different cathodic materials for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) consisting of Ru nanoparticles (NPs) supported onto a bare and two doped reduced graphene oxides (r-GO) have been studied. Ru NPs have been synthesized in situ by means of the organometallic approach in the presence of each reduced graphene support (bare (rGO), N-doped (NH-rGO) and P-doped (P-rGO)). (HR)TEM, EDX, EA, ICP-OES, XPS, Raman and NMR techniques have been used to fully characterize the obtained rGO-supported Ru materials.

Direct Covalent Functionalization of H-Terminated 2D Germanane with Thiolated Molecules: Passivation and Tuning of Optoelectronic Properties.

Covalent molecular functionalization allows the physicochemical properties of 2D materials to be precisely tuned and modulated on-demand. Nonetheless, research on the molecular functionalization of 2D monoelemental graphene-like materials─known as Xenes─remains scarce, being mainly restricted to a specific type of solid-state chemical reaction based on the topotactic transformation of bulkier Zintl phases. Herein, a robust and general chemical approach is reported for the direct functionalization of commercially available H-terminated 2D germanene () with thiolated molecules () via Ge-S bond formation.

Versatile Organometallic Synthesis of 0D/2D Metal@Germanane Nanoarchitectonics for Electrochemical Energy Conversion Applications.

Hydrogen-terminated 2D-Germanane (2D-GeH), a germanium-based 2D material akin to graphene, is receiving enormous attention owing to its predicted optoelectronic characteristics. However, experimental research of 2D-GeH is still in an early stage, and therefore its real implementation for task-specific applications will depend on the correct development of suitable chemical functionalization methods. Herein, a general and straightforward organometallic (OM) approach is provided for the robust functionalization of 2D-GeH with different 0D noble metal nanoparticles (M-NPs), resulting in 0D/2D M@GeH nanoarchitectonics.

Boosting the Oxygen Evolution Activity of FeNi Oxides/Hydroxides by Molecular and Atomic Engineering.

FeNi oxides/hydroxides are the best performing catalysts for oxidizing water at basic pH. Consequently, their improvement is the cornerstone to develop more efficient artificial photosynthetic systems. During the last 5 years different reports have demonstrated an enhancement of their activity by engineering their structures via: (1) modulation of the number of oxygen, iron and nickel vacancies; (2) single atoms (SAs) doping with metals such as Au, Ir, Ru and Pt; and (3) modification of their surface using organic ligands.