Carbon doped molybdenum disulfide nanosheets stabilized on graphene for the hydrogen evolution reaction with high electrocatalytic ability

Abstract

Fabricating a cost effective hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst without using precious metal elements is in crucial demand for environmentally-benign energy production. In this work, the thin and edge-rich molybdenum disulfide nanosheets, with carbon doped in the interlayers and decorated on graphene, were developed by a facile solvothermal process. The as-synthesized nanohybrids exhibited high catalytic ability for the hydrogen evolution electrochemical reaction with an onset overpotential of 0.165 mV and a Tafel slope of 46 mV dec⁻¹. Furthermore, the prepared nanohybrids also showed better durability and stability. Our work may lead to a potential method for in situ production of metal carbide–sulphur hybrid nanomaterials with promising applications for the hydrogen evolution reaction.