Synthesis of MoSx/Ni-metal-organic framework-74 composites as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions

Abstract

The development of low-cost and stable materials presents a challenging task for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, we developed a facile strategy to fabricate efficient catalysts by incorporating amorphous molybdenum sulfide (MoSx) and Ni-metal-organic framework (MOF)-74 via a solvothermal process. Owing to the formation of NiMoS phases that decrease the hydrogen adsorption energy on the catalysts, the MoSx/Ni-MOF-74 based catalysts deliver excellent hydrogen generation performance in acidic media. In particular, an optimal MoSx/Ni-MOF-74 with an amount of 40 wt% MoSx exhibited the best HER performance with a low onset voltage of -114 mV and a small Tafel slope of 53.1 mV dec(-1). In addition, the stability of the catalyst was maintained for over 2000 cycles with a slight shift in performance. These results imply that the MoSx/Ni-MOF-74 composite is a promising candidate for the development of non-expensive catalysts for hydrogen production using the electrochemical method.