Synthesis of g-C3N4/Fe3O4/MoS2 composites for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

As a typical two-dimensional layered material, MoS2 has attracted extensive attention owing to its abundant reserves, adjustable electronic structure, and excellent chemical stability. Although MoS2 has unsaturated edge sites with high catalytic activity similar to that of Pt-based materials, its catalytic activity is greatly limited by the high proportion of electrochemically inactive MoS2 basal planes because MoS2 base atoms occupy most of the MoS2 surface and bind with H atoms weakly. In this study, g-C3N4/Fe3O4/MoS2 composite electrocatalysts were synthesized by the growth of MoS2 nanosheets on Fe3O4 sites supported on g-C3N4 substrates. According to our results, the Fe3O4 sites caused MoS2 to form highly dispersed nanosheets and prevented their agglomeration; this realized the high exposure of the catalyst active sites, redistribution of surface charge, and optimization of hydrogen adsorption kinetics and stability. In addition, the performance of the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction of MoS2 was improved.