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Seawater electrolysis (SWE) is proposed to be a promising approach to green hydrogen (H2) production but its large‐scale deployment faces challenges because of the anodic competing chlorine evolution reaction (CER) and high energy consumption. To address these challenges, innovative hybrid SWE systems have recently emerged, able to mitigate the interference of CER and substantially reduce the electrical energy needed. Herein, the preparation of 2D layered PtTe nanosheets (e‐PtTe NSs) using the liquid‐phase exfoliation method is reported, which show outstanding electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution (HER), hydrazine oxidation (HzOR), and oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in seawater. Using e‐PtTe NSs as trifunctional catalysts, two hybrid SWE systems are demonstrated: 1) a hydrazine‐assisted acid‐alkaline dual‐electrolyte seawater electrolyzer enabled by a bipolar membrane (BPM‐OHzSWE), which can simultaneously produce H2 and generate electricity through harvesting the electrochemical neutralization energy and leveraging the advantage of the HzOR over the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in terms of anodic potentials; 2) a hydrazine‐assisted SWE system powered by a direct hydrazine fuel cell (DHzFC), which can realize self‐powered H2 production. These novel hybrid SWE systems show substantial promise for energy‐saving and cost‐effective production of H2 from seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defect engineering represents a significant approach for atomically thick 2D semiconductor material development to explore the unique material properties and functions. Doping‐induced conversion of conductive polarity is particularly beneficial for optimizing the integration of layered electronics. Here, controllable doping behavior in palladium diselenide (PdSe2) transistor is demonstrated by manipulating its adatom‐vacancy groups. The underlying mechanisms, which originate from reversible adsorption/desorption of oxygen clusters near selenide vacancy defects, are investigated systematically via their dynamic charge transfer characteristics and scanning tunneling microscope analysis. The modulated doping effect allows the PdSe2 transistor to emulate the essential characteristics of photo nociceptor on a device level, including firing signal threshold and sensitization. Interestingly, electrostatic gating, acting as a neuromodulator, can regulate the adaptive modes in nociceptor to improve its adaptability and perceptibility to handle different danger levels. An integrated artificial nociceptor array is also designed to execute unique image processing functions, which suggests a new perspective for extension of the promise of defect engineered 2D electronics in simplified sensory systems toward use in advanced humanoid robots and artificial visual sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of theory and experiments, the application capability of nickel ditelluride (NiTe2) transition‐metal dichalcogenide in catalysis and nanoelectronics is assessed. The Te surface termination forms a TeO2 skin in an oxygen environment. In ambient atmosphere, passivation is achieved in less than 30 min with the TeO2 skin having a thickness of about 7 Å. NiTe2 shows outstanding tolerance to CO exposure and stability in water environment, with subsequent good performance in both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. NiTe2‐based devices consistently demonstrate superb ambient stability over a timescale as long as one month. Specifically, NiTe2 has been implemented in a device that exhibits both superior performance and environmental stability at frequencies above 40 GHz, with possible applications as a receiver beyond the cutoff frequency of a nanotransistor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: PtTe2 is a novel transition‐metal dichalcogenide hosting type‐II Dirac fermions that displays application capabilities in optoelectronics and hydrogen evolution reaction. Here it is shown, by combining surface science experiments and density functional theory, that the pristine surface of PtTe2 is chemically inert toward the most common ambient gases (oxygen and water) and even in air. It is demonstrated that the creation of Te vacancies leads to the appearance of tellurium‐oxide phases upon exposing defected PtTe2 surfaces to oxygen or ambient atmosphere, which is detrimental for the ambient stability of uncapped PtTe2‐based devices. On the contrary, in PtTe2 surfaces modified by the joint presence of Te vacancies and substitutional carbon atoms, the stable adsorption of hydroxyl groups is observed, an essential step for water splitting and the water–gas shift reaction. These results thus pave the way toward the exploitation of this class of Dirac materials in catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palladium ditelluride (PdTe2) is a novel transition‐metal dichalcogenide exhibiting type‐II Dirac fermions and topological superconductivity. To assess its potential in technology, its chemical and thermal stability is investigated by means of surface‐science techniques, complemented by density functional theory, with successive implementation in electronics, specifically in a millimeter‐wave receiver. While water adsorption is energetically unfavorable at room temperature, due to a differential Gibbs free energy of ≈+12 kJ mol−1, the presence of Te vacancies makes PdTe2 surfaces unstable toward surface oxidation with the emergence of a TeO2 skin, whose thickness remains sub‐nanometric even after one year in air. Correspondingly, the measured photocurrent of PdTe2‐based optoelectronic devices shows negligible changes (below 4%) in a timescale of one month, thus excluding the need of encapsulation in the nanofabrication process. Remarkably, the responsivity of a PdTe2‐based millimeter‐wave receiver is 13 and 21 times higher than similar devices based on black phosphorus and graphene in the same operational conditions, respectively. It is also discovered that pristine PdTe2 is thermally stable in a temperature range extending even above 500 K, thus paving the way toward PdTe2‐based high‐temperature electronics. Finally, it is shown that the TeO2 skin, formed upon air exposure, can be removed by thermal reduction via heating in vacuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]