In-Situ Growth of Few-Layered MoS₂ Nanosheets on Highly Porous Carbon Aerogel as Advanced Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Molybdenum disulfide-based hybrids, acting as cost-effective and acid-stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), have been developed fast for providing sustainable hydrogen energy in recent years. Herein, few-layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets/carbon aerogel (CA) hybrids were successfully obtained through the combination of sol–gel process, aging, freeze-drying, high temperature carbonization, and solvothermal reaction. CA with highly continuous porosity and high specific surface area is used as a matrix material for construction of hierarchical MoS₂/CA hybrids where few-layered MoS₂ nanosheets are uniformly covered on a CA surface. In this heterostructured system, CAs not only provide three-dimensional (3D) conductive pathway for fast transportation of electrons and ions, but also offer highly active regions for the growth of MoS₂, greatly preventing the aggregation of MoS₂ nanosheets. Due to the rationally designed hybrids with 3D porous nanostructures, the as-prepared MoS₂/CA hybrids with optimized MoS₂ content exhibit enhanced catalytic performance for electrocatalytic HER with a low onset potential of −0.14 V, large current density, and excellent stability