Construction of a p-p heterojunction Co3O4/MoS2 electrocatalyst for boosting hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Building p-p heterojunctions with Fermi level difference, due to the motion of energy levels, band bending, and internal electric field generation, can effectively improve the electronic structure of the interface, enrich the active sites of heterojunctions, and promote the adsorption of reaction intermediates, which is an effective approach to constructing high-performance electrocatalysts. In this study, a Co3O4/MoS2 p-p heterojunction catalyst with nano-particle/nano-flower structure was designed, inducing charge transfer from Co3O4 to MoS2, thereby increasing the negative charge of MoS2, improving *H adsorption through electrostatic interaction, enhancing electrocatalytic kinetics, and reducing reaction overpotential. The catalytic performance of MoS2 for hydrogen evolution reaction was effectively enhanced. In 1 M KOH solution, the current density was 10 mA cm−2, and the overpotential was 156 mV, with good stability after 40 h of operation. This work provides a new direction for the design of p-p heterojunction electrocatalysts and offers more choices for promoting the development of high-performance non-noble metal catalysts.