MoS2 nanosheets supported on reduced carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes: An advanced catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction

One of the important breakthroughs in the realization of renewable hydrogen energy source is the development of innovative methods to produce non-noble-metal electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, an efficient HER catalyst with a unique nanostructure that MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) supported on reduced carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (rCMWCNTs) has been synthesized by microwave-assisted. The preparation process is environmentally friendly, efficient, and suitable for mass production, including a liquid exfoliation technique of ultrasound probe sonication method to make small-sized MoS2 NSs and their subsequent microwave-assisted synthesis to be supported on rCMWCNTs. The study of the structural properties reveal that the MoS2 NSs supported on the rCMWCNTs are uniformly distributed and perfectly preserved their original superior structural features. The excellent catalytic performance of the as-prepared hybrid is verified by the electrochemical tests results, which exhibit a small Tafel slope of 66 mV/decade and a low overpotential of -190 mV. Moreover, according to the classic theory, the mechanism governing of the catalytic HER on the MoS2 NSs/rCMWCNTs nanohybrid has been clarified. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.