Nickel@Nitrogen-Doped Carbon@MoS₂ Nanosheets: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Efficient electrocatalysts are crucial for hydrogen production via water splitting.
• Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-based composites show promise for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective and highly active electrocatalyst for HER.
• To synthesize nickel@nitrogen-doped carbon@MoS2 (Ni@NC@MoS2) hybrid sub-microspheres for enhanced hydrogen production.

Main Methods:

• Hierarchical Ni@NC@MoS2 sub-microspheres were synthesized using a hydrothermal process.
• MoS2 nanosheets with expanded interlayer spacing were grown on a Ni@NC substrate.
• Electrocatalytic activity for HER was evaluated in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution.

Main Results:

• The Ni@NC@MoS2 catalyst exhibited an onset overpotential of 18 mV and 82 mV at 10 mA cm-2.
• A low Tafel slope of 47.5 mV dec-1 and high durability were observed.
• Synergistic effects between MoS2 nanosheets and the Ni@NC substrate enhanced HER performance.

Conclusions:

• The Ni@NC@MoS2 hybrid sub-microspheres demonstrate excellent electrocatalytic activity and durability for HER.
• This catalyst holds potential for practical hydrogen production applications.
• The synthesis strategy can be extended to other metal-nitrogen-doped carbon-MoS2 systems.