title: Fast One-Pot Synthesis of MoS2/Crumpled Graphene p-n Nanonjunctions for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Production.
abstract: Aerosol processing enables the preparation of hierarchical graphene nanocomposites with special crumpled morphology in high yield and in a short time. Using modular insertion of suitable precursors in the starting solution, it is possible to synthesize different types of graphene-based materials ranging from heteroatom-doped graphene nanoballs to hierarchical nanohybrids made up by nitrogen-doped crumpled graphene nanosacks that wrap finely dispersed MoS2 nanoparticles. These materials are carefully investigated by microscopic (SEM, standard and HR TEM), diffraction (grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD)) and spectroscopic (high resolution photoemission, Raman and UV-visible spectroscopy) techniques, evidencing that nitrogen dopants provide anchoring sites for MoS2 nanoparticles, whereas crumpling of graphene sheets drastically limits aggregation. The activity of these materials is tested toward the photoelectrochemical production of hydrogen, obtaining that N-doped graphene/MoS2 nanohybrids are seven times more efficient with respect to single MoS2 because of the formation of local p-n MoS2/N-doped graphene nanojunctions, which allow an efficient charge carrier separation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calvillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Mattia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cattelan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.|Advanced Light Source (ALS) Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , 1 Cyclotron Rd., M/S 6R2100 Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Favaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Righetto
authors.affiliation: Istituto Officina dei Materiali (IOM)-CNR, Laboratorio TASC, Area Science Park-Basovizza , Strada Statale 14, Km.163.5, I-34149 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nappini
authors.affiliation: Istituto Officina dei Materiali (IOM)-CNR, Laboratorio TASC, Area Science Park-Basovizza , Strada Statale 14, Km.163.5, I-34149 Trieste, Italy.|Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A. , Strada Statale 14, Km.163.5, I-34149 Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Píš
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Cantocks Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Celorrio
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol , Cantocks Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Fermín
authors.affiliation: Industrial Engineering Department and INSTM, University of Padova , Padova 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agnoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova , via Marzolo 1, Padua 35131, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Granozzi
keywords: graphene oxide; hydrogen evolution reaction; nanohybrids; photocatalysis; transition metal dichalcogenides