Laser induced MoS2/carbon hybrids for hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts

Abstract

MoS₂/carbon hybrid materials have been shown to be promising non-precious metal electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, a facile method for synthesizing them is still a big challenge, let alone patterning them through a design. In this work, we present a novel strategy to synthesize and pattern MoS₂/carbon hybrid materials as electrocatalysts for the HER through a one-step direct laser writing (DLW) method under ambient conditions. DLW on citric acid–Mo–S precursors leads to the in situ synthesis of small-sized MoS₂ nanoparticles (NPs) anchored to the carbon matrix. Largely exposed catalytically active sites from the MoS₂ NPs and the synergetic effect from the carbon matrix make the hybrid materials exhibit superior catalytic performance and stability for the HER in acidic solutions. Through computer-controlled laser beams we can design arbitrary patterns made of these catalysts on targeted substrates, which will open a new route for fabricating on-chip microfuel cells or catalytic microreactors.