Exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets as efficient catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen evolution

An efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution has been developed based on liquid exfoliation of bulk MoS2 via a direct dispersion and ultrasonication method. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy measurements show that the exfoliated MoS2 consists of two-dimensional nanosheets. The exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets modified glass carbon electrode (E-MoS2/GCE) with various loadings is fabricated via a drop-casting method. The electrocatalytic activity of E-MoS2/GCE toward hydrogen evolution reaction is examined using linear sweep voltammetry. It is shown that the E-MoS2/GCE with an electrode loading of 48 mu g cm(-2) exhibits a high catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution with a low overpotential (-0.12 V) and a high current density (1.26 mA cm(-2), at eta=150 mV). (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.