3D MoS2-rGO@Mo nanohybrids for enhanced hydrogen evolution: The importance of the synergy on the Volmer reaction

Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) through electrocatalytic water splitting is regarded as a promising route to produce hydrogen in a large scale. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been reported as a transition metal electrocatalysts, but generally with a poor activity, e.g. 540 mV overpotential at 10 mAcm(-2) and Tafel slope value of 84 mV dec(-1). A 3D MoS2-rGO@Mo nanohybrids, a three-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets network coated with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on molybdenum mesh, is demonstrated as one of the best MoS2-based electrocatalysts. It delivers a benchmark current density of 10 mAcm(-2) under a small overpotential (similar to 123 mV) with a low Tafel slope (similar to 62 mV dec(-1)), and an excellent stability performance. Its excellent performance can be attributed to the synergy between the 3D MoS2 and rGO with abundant active sites and high conductivity which leads to a faster water dissociation on the surface in the Volmer step. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Ltd.