Cobaloxime anchored MoS2 nanosheets as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

(Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has emerged as a promising electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the catalytic performance of pure MoS2 is not as good as expected due to the limited active sites at the surface. Herein, cobaloxime anchored MoS2 nanosheets (MoS2-Co(dmgBF(2))(2)) were successfully developed as electrocatalysts for the HER in acidic media. Remarkably, MoS2- Co(dmgBF(2))(2) delivered a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at a low overpotential of approximately 103 mV versus the reversible hydrogen electrode, which is much lower than the values of most reported MoS2-based HER electrocatalysts. In addition, the Tafel slope and the exchange current density of MoS2-Co(dmgBF(2))(2) were calculated to be 45 mV dec(-1) and 64.5 mu A cm(-2), respectively. Such superior HER activity can be attributed to the abundant active sites from both the edges and the modified basal planes. We believe that this approach not only provides a new method to functionalize MoS2 through coordination, but also offers a new approach to integrate homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for the HER.