(186w) Bandgap Engineering of 2D Metal Oxides Using Sulfur for Catalytic and Electronic Applications

As we move towards the future, it will be necessary to develop materials that are earth-abundant, affordable, and environmentally friendly for applications in sectors such as energy and electronics. In this respect, 2D metal oxides are attractive because they can be made of earth-abundant materials and they possess a large surface area that is beneficial for catalysis. In order to modulate the activity of metal oxides towards particular reactions, some researchers have developed and applied doping methods which can alter and/or improve their properties. Sulfur has been applied as a popular dopant for many different catalysts, but there is less research exploring the effect of sulfur-doping on 2D transition metal oxides. In order to begin understanding the influence of sulfur-doping in 2D systems, we have controllably doped CuO and Fe2O3 nanosheets with sulfur and characterized their properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity measurements, and heterogeneous catalytic reactions were used to characterize the composition, bandgaps, catalytic activity, and transport properties of CuO and Fe2O3 nanosheets with varying levels of sulfur-doping. The effect of sulfur doping concentration on bandgap, catalytic activity, and transport properties will be discussed, and the influence of sulfur on modulating properties will be compared between CuO and Fe2O3 2D systems.