Electro-deposition Assisted Synthesis of Cu/MoS2 Nanostructures for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

To replace Pt-based compounds in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER),MoS2 has already been established as an efficient catalyst. The electrocatalytic activity of MoS2 is further improved the morphology and the electronic structure through coating, which helps the band energy position to be modified .Presently, Cu/MoS2nanostructure is synthesized via electrodeposition technique.The synthesized Cu/MoS2nanostructure were characterized using various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results indicate that the coating of MoS2 by Cu metal is leads to the formation of highly crystalline Cu/MoS2 nanostructure with a well-defined interface.The electrochemical properties of the Cu/MoS2 nanomaterial were evaluated using linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry and Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The optimized Cu/MoS2 nanostructure which exhibit low overpotential of -149 mV and a Tafel slope of 117 mV/dec, indicating superior catalytic activity compared to bare MoS2. This study provides combining Cu with MoS2 could potentially improve the HER performance and conductivity, which can have significant implications for renewable energy applications.