Amorphous CoMoSx/N-Doped Carbon Hybrid with 3D Networks as Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution

Catalytic materials without using precious metallic elements for electrocatalytic water splitting are a crucial demand to the renewable energy production. Cobalt molybdenum sulfide (CoMoSx) is one of the promising candidates for such purpose. Yet, the sparse catalytic active sites and poor electrical conductivity limit its catalytic performance. Here, we presented an efficient strategy to synthesize amorphous cobalt molybdenum supported on tree-dimensional network N-doped carbon nanofibers (CoMoSx/NCNFs) with the enlarged surface area. The obtained catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) methods, and the catalytic activity was evaluated by electrochemical technique. In contrast to large aggregate CoMoS(x)particles grown on carbon paper electrode without NCNFs, CoMoSx/NCNFs/CP hybrid materials possess porous structure with an abundance of exposed active sites stacked onto NCNF surface. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between the amorphous CoMoS(x)and the underlying NCNF network, CoMoSx/NCNFs hybrid exhibits an excellent activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low onset overpotential of 117 mV, a Tafel slope of 75 mV/decade, and good stability.