Morphology control and physicochemical properties of first row transition metal chalcogenides and phosphides for optical and electrochemical applications

Abstract

The first-row transition metals have unique physicochemical properties when forming compounds with oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Transition metal oxides have been the subject of extensive studies as imaging agents using magnetic properties. Transition metal phosphides have proper binding energy with hydrogen molecules, so the frequency of research on hydrogen evolution reactions using these materials is increasing. Besides, transition metal sulfides are employed in quantum dot display applications by using the visible region, especially the bandgap of nanoparticles. The unique physicochemical properties of these nanomaterials can be manipulated according to the size, shape, surface index, and degree of alloy. Therefore, it is significant to tailor and analyze the catalyst morphology and structure. In this study, physicochemical properties were changed according to various morphology control of transition metal oxide, sulfide, and phosphides in nanoscale. In chapter I, physicochemical properties and applications of transition metal chalcogenides and phosphides were introduced. In chapter II, the synthesis, structural analysis, and formation mechanism of octapod manganese oxide nanostructures were synthesized by using the organic and inorganic ligands. Subsequently, the addition of silver or gold domains to apply for dual imaging was discussed. In chapter III, the alloying effect in electrochemical hydrogen production reactions using iron-nickel phosphide nanocatalysts was considered in principle. Chapter IV introduced a study on the synthesis of cadmium or cadmium-free based quantum rods for the implementation of blue light-emitting quantum materials. These studies could help to understand the relationship between the morphology of the first-row transition metal compounds and their physicochemical and catalytic properties.