In situ construction MoS2-Pt nanosheets on 3D MOF-derived S, N-doped carbon substrate for highly efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Integrating the synergistic effect of multiple components is desirable to optimize catalytic performance of composite electrocatalysts for energy conversion and storage. Herein, the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of a three-dimensional (3D) CuSNC@MoS2-Pt featuring Pt-doped MoS2 nanosheets grown in-situ on S, N-doped carbon substrate (CuSNC) derived from rose-like structured Cu-TCPP MOF (TCPP = 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin) is investigated. Compared with single MoS2, the synergistic effects of Pt-doping, S, N-doped carbon substrate and 3D open porous structural advantages allow CuSNC@MoS2-Pt to achieve optimum alkaline HER activity with small overpotentials of 102.6, 165.6 and 199.0 mV at current densites of 10, 50 and 100 mA cm−2 respectively, and a small Tafel slope of 55.7 mV dec−1. Spectroscopic techniques and density functional theory calculations reveal that pairing of Pt-doping and S, N-doped carbon substrates in CuSNC@MoS2-Pt effectively reduce the kinetic energy barrier of water dissociation and hydrogen generation, thus improving HER activity. In addition, good hydrophilicity of CuSNC@MoS2-Pt is conducive to achieving rapid mass transport. This work provides a facile strategy for simultaneously integrating structural advantages, electrical conductivity and electronic engineering to construct advanced alkaline HER electrocatalysts.