Flat-Band Potential of n-Type Semiconducting Molybdenum Disulfide by Cyclic Voltammetry of Two-Electron Reductants: Interface Energetics and the Sustained Photooxidation of Chloride.

摘要

Cyclic voltammetry has been used to locate the band edges of n-type MoS2 in CH3CN/ and EtOH/n-Bu4Nc104 solutions. The crucial experiments concern the study of the cyclic voltammetry of biferrocene (BF) and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) each of which has two, reversible, one-electron waves at Pt. At MoS2, the first oxidation is reversible in the dark, whereas the second oxidation is observed only upon illumination of the MoS2. The dark oxidation BF yields BF(+) and the photoanodic BF(+) yields BF(++) are separated by only approx. 150 mV allowing us to assign an uncommonly accurate flat-band potential of +0.30 + 0.05 V vs. SCE to MoS2. This accurate flat-band potential reveals that the valence band edge is at approx. + 1.9 V vs. SCE showing that photooxidations doable at Ti02 are thermodynamically possible at illuminated MoS2 as well. As an example of the ruggedness of MoS2 we demonstrate the ability to effect the sustained oxidation of C1(-) at illuminated n-type MoS2. Conclusions from BF are fully supported by those from TMPD and one-electron systems ferrocene, acetylferrocene, 1,1'-diacetylferrocene, and Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)3(2+). Oxidation of Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)3(2+) can be effected >0.5 V contrathermodynamically by illumination of MoS2. (Author)