Unveiling the structural dynamics of transition metal chalcogenides during water electrolysis through in situ/operando XAS/XRF/FTIR

The unique d-electron configurations render transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) promising for alkaline water electrolysis. However, the precise relationship between the local coordination environments of the active centers and the underlying catalytic reaction kinetics remains to be fully understood. This research proposal aims to employ complementary in situ/operando characterization methods, such as XAS, FTIR, and XRF, to monitor the dynamic structural behaviors and HER/OER kinetics of TMCs, specifically CoSe2. The proposed in situ/operando experiments will provide crucial insights into the dynamic evolution of metal valence states and oxidized anionic groups during alkaline HER/OER processes. Furthermore, the combination of synchrotron-based in situ/operando monitoring and laboratory surface-sensitive techniques (i.e. Raman) will allow us to build a general structure-activity relationship on TMCs for water electrolysis.