In situ coupling of a Co-Mo bimetallic sulfide derived from [CoMo12O40]6- clusters showing highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is important for green hydrogen production from water electrolysis. Nowadays, there is an urgent need to construct highly efficient electrocatalysts to boost the HER and achieve hydrogen production. Herein, we present the preparation of a new composite Co-Mo bimetallic sulfide supported on carbon cloth (MoS2/CoS2/CC) via a one-pot hydrothermal sulfurization strategy using (C3H5N2)(6)[CoMo12O40]& BULL;10H(2)O (CoMo12) as a metal source and thiourea as a sulfur source. The obtained MoS2/CoS2/CC catalyst exhibited outstanding HER ability, with an overpotential of 69 mV when the current density is 10 mA cm(-2) in KOH solution, showing comparable performance with those of the advanced Pt/C electrodes tested under the same conditions. Additionally, the results of XRD after the catalytic reaction showed that the electrode had excellent stability in the electrolyte of 1.0 M KOH.

Automated summary

In this study, a new composite Co-Mo bimetallic sulfide supported on carbon cloth (MoS2/CoS2/CC) was prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal sulfurization strategy as an efficient electrocatalyst for boosting hydrogen production from water electrolysis. The obtained MoS2/CoS2/CC catalyst exhibited outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) ability, with a low overpotential of 69 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) in KOH solution, comparable to advanced Pt/C electrodes. Moreover, the catalytic electrode showed excellent stability in the electrolyte of 1.0 M KOH, as confirmed by XRD analysis after the catalytic reaction.