Graphene confined MoS2 particles for accelerated electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

MoS2 is a promising noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Extensive trials have been carried out to increase its low electrical conductivity and insufficient active sites. Here, a remarkable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution is developed based on the in-situ preparation of MoS2 confined in graphene nanosheets. Graphene effectively controls the growth of MoS2 and immensely increases the conductivity and structural stability of the composite materials. Remarkably, because of the plentiful active sites, sufficient electrical contact and transport, MoS2 particles confined in graphene nanosheets exhibit an onset overpotential as small as 32 mV, an overpotential approaching 132 mV at 10 mA cm(-2), and a low Tafel slope of 45 mV dec(-1). This work presents a reasonable architecture for practical applications in efficient electrocatalytic H-2 generation. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.