Ni-Doped MoS2 as an Efficient Catalyst for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution in Alkine Media

Hydrogen generation from overall water splitting in alkine media is a convenient and promising technology for solving global energy dilemma. As a key half reaction, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) involves a complicated electrochemical process, and preparing high-performance catalysts based on earth-abundant elements is a matter of urgency. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a robust electrocatalyst that has been widely studied in acidic HER, but the low-concentration of active sites and slow-reaction rate limit its application in alkine electrolytes. To solve the above issues, we successfully fabricated a three-dimensional Ni doped MoS2 (MoS2:Ni) catalyst by a simple two-step approach for excellent catalytic performance. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results suggested that the nickel acted as new active sites, and the electronic interactions between nickel and molybdenum led to the redistribution of charge to promote the involved process. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results indicated that MoS2:Ni performed a faster charge-transfer. In addition, the developed catalyst showed a lower overpotential and 91 mV decrease compared to those of pure MoS2 at 10 mA/cm(2) in 1.0 M KOH. The study reported here may inspire the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials and provide concepts for improving the HER capabilities of MoS2-based catalysts.