Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production of MoS2 sheet/carbon nanofiber using rapid electron transport of Mo6+ and carbon nanofiber

Normal MoS2 exhibits a low photocatalytic performance for H-2 production owing to the deficiency of the active sites and the poor electrical conductance. In this work, MoS2 anchored on the surface of the carbon nanofibers was designed to enhance the activity of the exposed edge and the electrical conductivity at the same time. The oxidation of the surface Mo atoms increases the activity of the exposed edge of the MoS2. The introduction of carbon nanofibers facilitates the effective transportation of the electron-hole pairs by enhancing the electrical conductivity. As a result, the introduction of carbon nanofibers and Mo6+ can facilitate the electron-hole pair separation to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance (to eight fold more than normal MoS2).

Automated summary

By anchoring MoS2 on carbon nanofibers and oxidizing the surface Mo atoms, the activity of the exposed edge was enhanced, while the introduction of carbon nanofibers improved electrical conductivity for effective transport of electron-hole pairs. This led to enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction performance compared to normal MoS2, with an eight fold increase.