Ultrathin transition metal oxychalcogenides | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Ultrathin transition metal oxychalcogenides Manish Chhowalla, Wenshuo Xu, Yao Wu, Shibo Xi, Yan Wang, Ye Wang, and 8 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4432594/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 02 Jan, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Synthesis → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exfoliated from bulk layered materials possess interesting properties. Most transition metal oxides (TMOs) are not layered and therefore cannot be exfoliated. Here we report the synthesis of a new family of ultrathin materials – transition metal oxychalcogenides (TMOCs) and demonstrate their unique properties. Specifically, 2D TMOCs such as HfS x O y , ZrS x O y , TiS x O y , TaS x O y , NbS x O y , VSe x O y , HfSe x O y , ZrSe x O y , TaTe x O y (x, y ~ 0–2) from bulk TMDs (HfS 2 , ZrS 2 , TiS 2 , TaS 2 , NbS 2 , VSe 2 , HfSe 2 , ZrSe 2 , TaTe 2 ) have been fabricated using tetrabutylammonium intercalation. The stoichiometry of TMOCs can be adjusted, which enables control of their optical band gaps and tunability of electrical conductivity by more than 8 orders of magnitude. Our results show that by tuning the chalcogen to oxygen ratio along with local atomic structure in TMOCs, it is possible to impart unexpected properties. For example, in contrast to conventional TMDs, the hybrid structure renders TMOCs surprisingly stable and electrochemically active in strong acids, which allows them to be used as proof-of-concept catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at pH ≈ 0. The HfS 0.52 O 1.09 catalysts show high mass activity (10,3000 A g –1 at an overpotential of 0.5 V) and exhibit durability in proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysers. Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Two-dimensional materials Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Synthesis and processing Full Text Additional Declarations Yes there is potential Competing Interest. A patent application has been filed based on this study. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 02 Jan, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Synthesis → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4432594","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":305901346,"identity":"5e7413f7-8263-45b9-8fed-f56774d9f89b","order_by":0,"name":"Manish 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