Mn‐Doped Nickel Telluride Dirac Semimetals with Engineered Dirac Cones for Accelerated Energy Conversion: Synergistic Electron Transfer and Adsorption Optimization

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Authors: Haoyi Chen, Guangping Yang, Yuxi Du, Tianyi Zhang, Abdullah Nasir, Tianxiang Yang, Xiaorong Xu, Chaowei Luo, Wenqi Guo, Changcheng Chen, Sining Yun
Cited by: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dirac semimetals are promising catalysts because of their unique electronic structures. In this study, we prepared a series of Ni 1‐x Mn x Te 2 catalysts with varying Mn doping ratios via a simple one‐step hydrothermal approach to modulate the electronic structure of Dirac semimetal NiTe 2 . Density functional theory calculations reveal that Mn doping effectively modulates Dirac cone dispersion near the Fermi level of NiTe 2 , thus significantly increasing the Fermi velocity. Furthermore, Mn doping substantially increases the density of states near the Fermi level and shifts the Dirac point to lower energies, thereby improving molecular adsorption. This synergistic modulation optimizes the catalytic activity of the triiodide reduction and hydrogen evolution reaction (IRR, HER). As a counter electrode, Ni 0.95 Mn 0.05 Te 2 exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 9.12%. Concurrently, as a HER catalyst, it exhibits an overpotential of 110 mV at 10 mA cm −2 . This paper presents an effective strategy for optimizing Dirac semimetal catalysts through electronic structure and adsorption site engineering, thus offering valuable insights for designing high‐performance catalysts from topological quantum materials for electrochemical applications.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion Topological Materials and Phenomena Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques

Publication details

Journal / source
Small
Volume
22
Issue
23
Pages
e10263–e10263
Publication date
23 February 2026
Language
EN