Sulfur vacancy-rich Co9S8@MoS2 core-shell heterostructures anchored on carbon nanofibers for electrochemical overall water splitting

The introduction of heterojunction and defects into electrocatalysts is an effective way to modulate the electronic structure and accelerate the electrocatalytic kinetics. In this work, we prepare well-distributed Co9S8@MoS2 core-shell nanoparticles on porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs). The N-doped CNFs improve the conductivity and dispersibility of the carried catalyst, and the porous structure introduces abundant ion diffusion pathways. The Co9S8 cores can effectively stabilize the MoS2 shells with exposed (002) crystal planes, and the Co-S-Mo het-erojunction promote charge transfer between the two phases to optimize the electronic structure. Particularly, sulfur vacancies are created in the annealing process to improve the intrinsic conductivity and extensively in-crease the quantity of active sites in MoS2. Consequently, Co9S8@MoS2/CNFs demonstrate a highly efficient hydrogen/oxygen evolution catalytic performance. The constructed Co9S8@MoS2/CNFs-based electrolytic cell displays a low potential of 1.41 V@10 mA/cm(2) for overall water splitting along with a super long-term stability. This work emphasizes the comprehensive design of heterogeneous structure, elemental doping and anion vacancies in transition metal-based catalysts for the practical application in electrocatalytic water splitting.

Automated summary

The introduction of heterojunction and defects into electrocatalysts can effectively modulate the electronic structure and improve the electrocatalytic kinetics. In this study, well-distributed Co9S8@MoS2 core-shell nanoparticles on porous carbon nanofibers were prepared, and their highly efficient hydrogen/oxygen evolution catalytic performance and long-term stability were demonstrated.