Ni3S2-MoSx nanorods grown on Ni foam as high-efficient electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

In order to solve the problem of large overpotential in water electrolysis for hydrogen production, transition metal sulfides are promising bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction/oxygen evolution reaction that can significantly reduce overpotential. In this work, Ni3S2 and amorphous MoSx nanorods directly grown on Ni foam (Ni3S2-MoSx/NF) were prepared via one-step solvothermal process, which were used as a high-efficient electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. The Ni3S2-MoSx/NF composite exhibits very low overpotentials of 65 and 312 mV to reach 10 mA cm(-2) and 50 mA cm(-2) in 1.0 M KOH for HER and OER, respectively. Besides, it exhibits a low Tafel slope (81 mV dec(-1) for HER, 103 mV dec(-1) for OER), high exchange current density (1.51 mA cm(-2) for HER, 0.26 mA cm(-2) for OER), and remarkable long-term cycle stability. This work provides new perspective for further the development of highly effective non-noble-metal materials in the energy field. (C) 2019 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.