An Infrequent 1D Manganese–Tin Selenide with Bifunctional Catalytic Properties

The optoelectronic, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic properties of new tin selenides are of great significance for various energy applications. Herein, a facile solvothermal reaction of Sn, Se, and MnCl₂ in 1,3-propodiamine (1,3-dap) solution at 150 °C for 7 days was used to achieve a new type of one-dimensional (1D) organic hybrid manganese-tin selenide [Mn₂(1,3-dap)₄(μ-1,3-dap)Sn₂Se₆]_n (<b>MnSnSe-1</b>), whose 1D framework is built up from the linkage of rare unsaturated binuclear [Mn₂(1,3-dap)₄(μ-1,3-dap)]²⁺ cations and dimeric [Sn₂Se₆]^4- anions. The combination of <b>MnSnSe-1</b> and Ni nanoparticle is first applied for the preparation of a Ni/<b>MnSnSe-1</b>/NF electrode (NF = porous Ni foam) as the efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), indicating excellent HER electrocatalytic property with an overpotential of 117 mV at 10 mA·cm^-2 in a neutral medium. Owing to its narrow absorption edge of 1.65 eV, implying prominent harvesting ability in the visible-light region, <b>MnSnSe-1</b> shows a remarkable photocurrent response and excellent visible-light-driven photocatalytic property for the degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution.