Molybdenum disulfide composite materials with encapsulated copper nanoparticles as hydrogen evolution catalysts

In the current work, a series of molybdenum disulfide composite MCNTs@Cu@MoS₂ materials with high hydrogen evolution performance are prepared. In the hydrogen evolution reaction, their overpotential is as low as 225 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 in 1 M H₂SO₄ as electrolyte solution. This excellent catalytic activity has been ascribed to its lower electrical impedance and high double layer capacitance. The encapsulation of copper nanoparticles into MoS₂ crystals significantly reduces their resistance, enhancing the electron transfer rate during water electrolysis. Thereby, the introduction of conductive nanoparticles into semi-conductive catalyst crystals would be an efficient measure to improve their electrochemical catalytic activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction.