2D transition metal chalcogenides and van der Waals heterostructures: Fundamental aspects of their electrochemistry

The explosion of research on graphene has prompted a similar level of activity on materials with related structures, i.e. two-dimensional materials formed from solids with a laminar structure, which can be isolated in their monolayer form. The main focus of activity beyond graphene, in electrochemical and other contexts, has focussed on the transition metal dichalcogenides. This review will highlight important advances in the use of these materials in an electrochemical context. The existence of a “family” of two-dimensional materials has led to recent interest in the creation of “van der Waals heterostructures”, where dissimilar two-dimensional materials are assembled in a specific fashion to produce structures with distinct electronic properties. The application of these materials in electrochemistry is in its infancy but very recent works suggest this will be an extremely important area of research in the coming years.