Few-Layer Antimonene Nanosheet: A Metal-Free Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Effective Water Splitting

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) material with thickness down to the atomic state is regarded as able to expose more active sites and achieve much higher catalytic efficiency than its bulk counterpart. Recent investigated semi-metallic antimony (Sb) demonstrates high charge carrier density and environmental stability toward prospective electrocatalytic performance. In this work, we adopt a favorable liquid exfoliation approach to produce few-layer antimonene and implement it as a metal-free electrocatalyst for water splitting. Few-layer antimonene nanosheets have been realized with preferable bifunctional electrocatalytic activity in association with structural robustness; meanwhile, the catalytic performance and charge transfer behavior of an integrated three-electrode system have also been uncovered. In addition to bifunctional catalytic ability, few-layer antimonene shows a low catalytic threshold because of the inherent characteristics derived from semi-metallic layered materials. It is further anticipated that the present work contributes to extendable investigations about the catalytic performance of antimonene nanosheets and related electrocatalytic devices.