Mass-producible 2D-WS₂ bulk modified screen printed electrodes towards the hydrogen evolution reaction

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• The Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) is crucial for sustainable energy technologies.
• Developing efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for HER is a significant challenge.
• Two-dimensional tungsten disulfide (2D-WS₂) has emerged as a promising material for catalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate screen-printable electrodes incorporating varying mass percentages of 2D-WS₂.
• To evaluate the electrocatalytic activity of these 2D-WS₂-SPEs for the HER in acidic media.
• To assess the stability and reproducibility of the fabricated electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Screen-printing technique to create electrodes with different 2D-WS₂ loadings.
• Electrochemical testing, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry, to assess HER performance.
• Analysis of key catalytic parameters such as onset potential, Tafel slope, and turnover frequency (ToF).

Main Results:

• The catalytic activity for HER significantly improved with increasing 2D-WS₂ mass incorporation.
• The optimal electrode (2D-WS₂-SPE_40%) exhibited an onset potential of -214 mV and a Tafel slope of 51.1 mV dec^-1.
• A representative electrode (2D-WS₂-SPE_10%) demonstrated excellent stability over 1000 CV cycles with no degradation in onset potential.

Conclusions:

• Screen-printed electrodes incorporating 2D-WS₂ are highly effective electrocatalysts for the HER.
• The mass loading of 2D-WS₂ critically influences catalytic performance.
• The fabrication method offers a scalable and reproducible approach for producing custom electrochemical electrodes.