Constructing WS₂/WO_3-x heterostructured electrocatalyst enriched with oxygen vacancies for accelerated hydrogen...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for clean energy production.
• Developing efficient electrocatalysts for HER in diverse environments is essential.
• Existing catalysts face challenges in stability and efficiency across different pH levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer advanced electrocatalysts for accelerated HER kinetics.
• To combine heterostructure and defect engineering for enhanced performance.
• To investigate the efficacy of WS2/WO3-x catalysts in acidic and alkaline media.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized WS2/WO3-x heterostructures using a two-step method.
• Incorporated oxygen vacancies through partial sulfurization of WO3-x.
• Characterized catalyst structure and evaluated HER performance via electrochemistry.

Main Results:

• Successfully created WS2/WO3-x heterojunctions with significant oxygen vacancies.
• The WS2/WO3-x-2 catalyst exhibited excellent HER performance in both acidic (120 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2) and alkaline (150 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm-2) electrolytes.
• Achieved improved overpotentials compared to other W-based HER catalysts.

Conclusions:

• WS2/WO3-x heterostructures with oxygen vacancies effectively accelerate HER kinetics.
• The engineered catalysts show promise for efficient hydrogen production in various environments.
• This work offers a design strategy for advanced HER electrocatalysts.