Heteronanostructures constructed from vertical MoS2 nanosheets on sepiolite nanofibers boosting electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Abstract

The development of efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts is of vital importance to the promotion of the hydrogen energy economy. MoS2 has good prospects for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution, whereas it still suffers from low electrocatalytic performance due to the hydrophobicity and inadequate exposure of edge active sites. Herein, unique one−/two-dimensional heteronanostructures were constructed from MoS2 nanosheets and sepiolite nanofibers via the facile hydrothermal method. Uniform MoS2 nanosheets were vertically assembled on the surfaces of sepiolite nanofibers via a heterogeneous interface structure, and the composites of MoS2 supported on sepiolite (MoS2/Sep) exhibit ideal tectorum-like morphology with the adequate exposure of MoS2 edge sites. MoS2/Sep achieves a charming electrocatalytic property, low Tafel slope (52 mV/dec), and excellent stability. The natural one-dimensional morphology and hydroxy-rich surface property of sepiolite nanofibers could significantly increase the exposed edge active sites and hydrophilicity of MoS2 nanosheets. This research presents a new way to design highly efficient heterogeneous electrocatalysts via integrating different dimensional nanomaterials.