Composite structure of a-MoSX@Ni9S8/NF nanoflower rods for efficient HER under a thermal field

Abstract

As a high calorific and zero carbon energy source, hydrogen has received a significant amount of attention in recent years. In this work, the amorphous molybdenum sulfide was uniformly and orderly wrapped around the surface of Ni₉S₈/NF nanowires by electrodeposition to obtain a-MoS_X@Ni₉S₈/NF nanoflower rods. A low overpotential of 138 mV (@10 mV cm⁻²) at room temperature was achieved for a-MoS_X@Ni₉S₈/NF with a high electrochemically active surface area. An external thermal field could reduce the interfacial charge transfer resistance between the electrode and the electrolyte and promote the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The a-MoS_X@Ni₉S₈/NF showed excellent hydrogen precipitation performance of 72 mV (@10 mV cm⁻²) under 80 °C. The a-MoS_X@Ni₉S₈/NF owned good reproducibility and durability after 5000 cycles in acidic media. The Faraday efficiency of the composite can reach 92.6%. This work provided a meaningful perspective on the design of electrochemical HER catalysts and external field assisted HER.