SnSe nanosheet hybridized with reduced graphene oxide for enhanced hydrogen revolution reaction

SnSe with layered structure, as a member of 2D materials and transition metal chalcogenides, is a promising candidate of electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) is an excellent substrate of electrocatalyst. In this work, SnSe nanosheets (NSs) had been prepared via liquid exfoliation, and the as-prepared SnSe NSs had been hybridized with RGO by a simple hydrothermal method. The SnSe/RGO hybrid shows superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance and charge transfer capability than SnSe NSs. In addition, it exhibits a superior HER performance in 1.0 M H2SO4 with overpotential of - 298.79 mV (vs. RHE) at a current density of 10 mA/cm(2) and a Tafel slope determined to be only 97.56 mV/dec. Moreover, the SnSe/RGO hybrid as working electrode is provided with excellent durability, which is capable of maintaining working current for 10 h. As demonstrated above, relative high activity and stability and low price make the SnSe/RGO hybrid a promising electrocatalyst.

Automated summary

In this work, SnSe nanosheets (NSs) were prepared via liquid exfoliation and hybridized with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) using a simple hydrothermal method. The SnSe/RGO hybrid exhibited superior performance in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and charge transfer compared to SnSe NSs. Furthermore, the hybrid showed excellent HER performance in 1.0 M H2SO4, with an overpotential of -298.79 mV (vs. RHE) at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 and a Tafel slope of 97.56 mV/dec. Moreover, the SnSe/RGO hybrid showed excellent durability, maintaining working current for 10 h. Overall, the SnSe/RGO hybrid is a promising and cost-effective electrocatalyst.