Issue 58, 2017

Surfactant-exfoliated 2D molybdenum disulphide (2D-MoS2): the role of surfactant upon the hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Surfactant (sodium cholate, SC) mediated liquid (aqueous) phase exfoliation is a common approach to fabricate 2D molybdenum disulphide (2D-MoS2–SC) nanosheets since it is a facile methodology producing defect free flakes with nanometer lateral sizes. The electrocatalytic behaviour of 2D-MoS2–SC towards the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) is benchmarked within acidic media and found to exhibit inferior HER activity to an equivalent mass of pristine 2D-MoS2 (2D-MoS2 produced without a surfactant), with HER onset potentials, current densities and Tafel values of −0.61 V (vs. SCE), −2.19 mA cm−2, 141 mV dec−1 and −0.42 V (vs. SCE), −4.96 mA cm−2, 94 mV dec−1 respectively. This work demonstrates that sodium cholate has a detrimental effect upon the HER activity of 2D-MoS2. Future studies that utilise 2D materials, fabricated via liquid surfactant exfoliation, should consider the role of the surfactant in the observed electrochemical responses and perform the necessary control experiments.

Graphical abstract: Surfactant-exfoliated 2D molybdenum disulphide (2D-MoS2): the role of surfactant upon the hydrogen evolution reaction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 5 2017
Accepted
20 6 2017
First published
24 7 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2017,7, 36208-36213

Surfactant-exfoliated 2D molybdenum disulphide (2D-MoS2): the role of surfactant upon the hydrogen evolution reaction

G. B. de-Mello, L. Smith, S. J. Rowley-Neale, J. Gruber, S. J. Hutton and C. E. Banks, RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 36208 DOI: 10.1039/C7RA05085B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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