Open AccessEngineering MoS 2 Basal Planes for Hydrogen Evolution via Synergistic Ruthenium Doping and Nanocarbon Hybridization
Author(s) -
Zhang Xing,
Zhou Feng,
Zhang Shen,
Liang Yongye,
Wang Ruihu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.201900090
Subject(s) - overpotential , tafel equation , molybdenum disulfide , catalysis , ruthenium , materials science , transition metal , hydrogen , dissociation (chemistry) , dopant , chemical engineering , adsorption , nanotechnology , molybdenum , ruthenium oxide , doping , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , electrochemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , metallurgy , optoelectronics , electrode , engineering
Promoting the intrinsic activity and accessibility of basal plane sites in 2D layered metal dichalcogenides is desirable to optimize their catalytic performance for energy conversion and storage. Herein, a core/shell structured hybrid catalyst, which features few‐layered ruthenium (Ru)‐doped molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanosheets closely sheathing around multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT), for highly efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is reported. With 5 at% (atomic percent) Ru substituting for Mo in MoS 2 , Ru‐MoS 2 /CNT achieves the optimum HER activity, which displays a small overpotential of 50 mV at −10 mA cm −2 and a low Tafel slope of 62 mV dec −1 in 1 m KOH. Theoretical simulations reveal that Ru substituting for Mo in coordination with six S atoms is thermodynamically stable, and the in‐plane S atoms neighboring Ru dopants represent new active centers for facilitating water adsorption, dissociation, and hydrogen adsorption/desorption. This work provides a multiscale structural and electronic engineering strategy for synergistically enhancing the HER activity of transition metal dichalcogenides.