MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx supported Pd nanoparticles as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and alkaline media

Development of electrocatalytic hydrogen production technology is the key to solving environmental and energy problems. Two-dimensional material Mo2TiC2Tx (T-x =-OH,-F) has shown great potential in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution because of its excellent conductivity and hydrophilicity. However, due to the lack of sufficient active sites of Mo2TiC2Tx itself, its practical applications in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution are limited. In this work, a highly-efficient hydrogen evolution electrocatalyst, namely Pd@MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx, is prepared through a simple pyrolysis method. In such a composite, the MoS2 nanoflowers hybridized with the ammonia-treated Mo2TiC2Tx (MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx) are used as a substrate for loading a small number of Pd nanoparticles (4.27 at.%). Notably, the introduction of Pd nanoparticles into MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx provides abundant active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction, improves the conductivity of the electrocatalyst, speeds up the adsorption and desorption of hydrogen, and induces a synergistic effect with the MoS2. As a result, the Pd@MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance and remarkable stability in both acidic and alkaline media. In a 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 electrolyte, the overpotential of Pd@MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx was 92 mV with a Tafel slope of 60 mV/dec at a current density of 10 mA/cm(2). Meanwhile, the catalyst displayed an overpotential of 100 mV associated with a Tafel slope of 80 mV/dec at the current density of 10 mA/cm(2) in a 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte. This work shows the great potential of using Mo2TiC2Tx-based material in the field of electrocatalysis. (C) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this work, a highly-efficient electrocatalyst Pd@MoS2/Mo2TiC2Tx for hydrogen evolution reaction is prepared, which shows excellent performance and stability. It demonstrates great potential in the field of electrocatalysis.