Abstract
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS(2))-based materials have been recently identified as promising electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, little work has been done to improve the catalytic performance of MoS(2) toward HER in alkaline electrolytes, which is more suitable for water splitting in large-scale applications. Here, it is reported that the hybridization of 0D nickel hydr(oxy)oxide nanoparticles with 2D metallic MoS(2) nanosheets can significantly enhance the HER activities in alkaline and neutral electrolytes. Impressively, the optimized hybrid catalyst can drive a cathodic current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at an overpotential of ≈73 mV for HER in 1 m KOH, about 185 mV smaller than the original MoS(2). The improved HER activity is attributed to a bifunctional mechanism adopted in these hybrid catalysts, in which nickel hydr(oxy)oxide promotes the water adsorption and dissociation to supply protons for subsequent reactions occurred on MoS(2) to generate H(2).