Facile synthesis of novel molybdenum disulfide decorated banana peel porous carbon electrode for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Hydrogen is one of the cleanest renewable and environmentally friendly energy resource that can be generated through water splitting. However, hydrogen evolution occurs at high overpotential, and efficient hydrogen evolution catalysts are desired to replace state-of-the-art catalysts such as platinum. In the present work, a novel molybdenum disulfide decorated banana peel porous carbon (MoS2@BPPC) catalyst has been developed using banana peel carbon and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Banana peel porous carbon (BPPC) was initially synthesized from the banana peel (biowaste) by a simple carbonization method. Subsequently, 20 wt% of bare MoS2 was distributed on the pristine BPPC matrix using the dry-impregnation method. The resulting MoS2@BPPC composites were systematically investigated to determine the morphology and structure. Finally, using a three-electrode cell system, pristine BPPC, bare MoS2, and MoS2@BPPC composite were used as HER electrocatalysts. The developed MoS2@BPPC composite showed greater HER activity and possessed excellent stability in the acid solution, including an overpotential of 150 mV at a current density of −10 mA cm−2, and a Tafel slope of 51 mV dec−1. This Tafel study suggests that the HER takes place by Volmer–Heyrovsky mechanism with a rate-determining Heyrovsky step. The excellent electrochemical performance of MoS2@BPPC composite for HER can be ascribed to its unique porous nanoarchitecture. Further, due to the synergetic effect between MoS2 and porous carbon. The HER activity using the MoS2@BPPC electrode advises that the prepared catalyst may hold great promise for practical applications.