One-step and low-temperature synthesis of iodine-doped graphene and its multifunctional applications for hydrogen evolution reaction and electrochemical sensing

Iodine (I) has emerged as a powerful heteroatom dopant for efficiently tailoring the electrocatalytic properties of graphene. However, the preparation methods of I-doped graphene (I-G) and its electrocatalysis applications remain largely unexplored. Herein, a one-step and low-temperature hydrothermal approach was developed for the successful synthesis of I-G with a high I-doping level (0.52 at.%). The resulting I-G was then applied as a metal-free catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and electrochemical sensing. It was shown that the I-G exhibited a dramatically enhanced HER activity compared to undoped graphene, attributed to the critical role of I-doping in offering large exposed active sites and high electron transfer capability. Furthermore, I-G also displayed attractive sensing performances for highly sensitive and selective detection of dopamine. These findings demonstrate that the hydrothermally synthesized I-G can be a promising electrocatalyst for multifunctional applications in water-splitting and electrochemical sensing.