A facile approach to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction of electrodeposited MoS2 in acidic solutions

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a typical two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), has been widely used as an electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This work presented a facile electrodeposition method to fabricate binder-free Ni modified-MoS2, exhibiting superior HER catalytic performance under acidic conditions. The characterization results revealed that the as-deposited Ni-MoS2 samples have extended interlayer spacings after Ni intercalation into layered structure MoS2. The as-synthesized MoS2 with 5 at% Ni ion addition exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity with a low onset overpotential of 139 mV. The Ni0.05Mo0.95S2 sample also exhibits the slightest Tafel slope of 62 mV dec(-1), suggesting a promoted Volmer-Heyrovsky process. Besides, a low overpotential of 215 mV at 10 mA cm(-2) and a high stability in H2SO4 solutions were also achieved. The excellent HER performance of the obtained material can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the formed Ni-Mo-S composition, abundant active sites and increased electrical conductivity. This work may contribute to the practical application of TMD-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.

Automated summary

This study presents a facile electrodeposition method to fabricate binder-free Ni modified-MoS2 with superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic performance. The obtained material exhibits excellent HER performance attributed to the synergistic effect of the formed Ni-Mo-S composition, abundant active sites, and increased electrical conductivity.