Iron molybdenum selenide supported on reduced graphene oxide as an efficient hydrogen electrocatalyst in acidic and alkaline media

It is of great significance to develop inexpensive and high-efficiency electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, we synthesized iron molybdenum selenide (FeSe2-MoSe2) loaded on reduced graphene oxide (FeSe2-MoSe2/rGO) by a one-step hydrothermal method. We further optimized the Fe/Mo ratio and determined the best ratio to be 1-1. In acidic (or alkaline) solution, the optimized FeSe2-MoSe2(1-1)/rGO has a small Tafel slope of 55 (or 80) mV dec(-1) and needs an overpotential of 101 (or 178) mV to achieve 10 mA cm(-2). These good properties are mainly due to the structure of bimetallic selenides combining rGO. Moreover, rGO enhances the electrical conductivity. Furthermore, the synergistic effect between FeSe2-MoSe2 (1-1) and rGO results in better HER performance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation proves that FeSe2-MoSe2(1-1)/rGO has a small work function. Based on our reasonable design and analysis, FeSe2-MoSe2(1-1)/rGO is expected to be an efficient and robust catalyst for large-scale applications. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, an inexpensive and efficient electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction was developed by synthesizing iron molybdenum selenide loaded on reduced graphene oxide. Optimization of the Fe/Mo ratio to 1-1 resulted in a catalyst with excellent performance in acidic and alkaline solutions.