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Ionic Surfactant-Modified Few-Layer MoS2 for High-Efficiency Solar-Driven Electrocatalytic Water Splitting
Gowthambabu Vellingiri1,2, Manjupriya Jothi1, Paulraj Gnanasekar2
1Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Department of Physics, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu 620 024, India.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|November 24, 2025
Summary
A novel few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) catalyst, aided by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS), shows exceptional performance for green hydrogen production via overall water splitting. This MoS2-SDS catalyst offers a sustainable alternative to noble metals for clean energy generation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
- Renewable Energy
Background:
- Environmentally harmful fuels necessitate sustainable alternatives.
- Green hydrogen is a promising clean energy solution.
- Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is explored as a catalyst for water splitting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an effective few-layer MoS2 catalyst for overall water splitting.
- To investigate the role of surfactants in catalyst performance.
- To evaluate the potential of MoS2-SDS as a green hydrogen production catalyst.
Main Methods:
- Two-step synthesis: liquid-phase exfoliation with surfactants (SDS, CTAB) followed by hydrothermal reaction.
- Characterization of MoS2 morphology, structure, and bandgap.
- Electrocatalytic evaluation of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance.
- Long-term stability testing for overall water splitting.
Main Results:
- Few-layer MoS2-SDS exhibited reduced layers and increased bandgap.
- MoS2-SDS demonstrated excellent HER (η10 = 125 mV) and OER (η10 = 213 mV) performance.
- High surface area, low charge transfer resistance, and >20 h durability were observed.
- Overall water splitting achieved >90% Faradaic efficiency and 60% energy conversion efficiency over 110 h.
Conclusions:
- Few-layer MoS2-SDS is a highly effective catalyst for electrocatalytic alkaline water splitting.
- This catalyst presents a viable, sustainable alternative to noble metal catalysts for green hydrogen production.
- The developed MoS2-SDS catalyst holds significant promise for practical applications in renewable energy.
