MoS2/sulfur and nitrogen co-doped reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Cost-effective materials for electrocatalytic water splitting are key to renewable energy research. In this work, MoS2/sulfur and nitrogen co-doped reduced graphene oxide (SNG) nanocomposite was produced via a two-step hydrothermal process. The formation of nanocomposite was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that the MoS2/SNG nanocomposite exhibits much higher catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) relative to MoS2 and MoS2/RGO catalysts, as manifested by much larger cathodic current density with smaller overpotential of -120 mV and lower Tafel slope of 45 mV dec(-1). It is believed that the outstanding performance is attributed to the high electronic conductivity of SNG for fast charge transport. This study highlights the significance of the strong electronic coupling effect between the MoS2 and SNG in the enhancement of HER electrocatalytic activity. Copyright (C) 2015, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.