Cobalt Molybdenum Sulfide Research Articles

Synergistic Performance Boosts of Dopamine-Derived Carbon Shell Over Bi-metallic Sulfide: A Promising Advancement for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

A CoMoS composite is synthesized to combine the benefits of cobalt and molybdenum sulfides as an anodic material for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The synthesis is accomplished using a simple two-step hydrothermal method and the resulting CoMoS nanocomposites are subsequently encapsulated in a carbonized polydopamine shell. The synthesis procedure exploited the self-polymerization ability of dopamine to create nitrogen-doped carbon-coated cobalt molybdenum sulfide, denoted as CoMoS@NC. Notably, the de-lithiation capacity of CoMoS and CoMoS@NC is 420 and 709 mAh g⁻1, respectively, even after 100 lithiation/de-lithiation cycles at a current density of 200mA g⁻1. Furthermore, excellent capacity retention ability is observed for CoMoS@NC as it withstood 600 consecutive lithiation/de-lithiation cycles with 94% capacity retention. Moreover, a LIB full-cell assembly incorporating the CoMoS@NC anode and an NMC-532 cathode is subjected to comprehensive electrochemical and practical tests to evaluate the performance of the anode. In addition, the density functional theory showcases the increased lithium adsorption for CoMoS@NC, supporting the experimental findings. Hence, the use of dopamine as a nitrogen-doped carbon shell enhanced the performance of the CoMoS nanocomposites in experimental and theoretical tests, positioning the material as a strong candidate for LIB anode.

Sulfur vacancies reinforced cobalt molybdenum sulfide nanosheets integrated cathode for high energy density hybrid supercapacitors

Rational design and construction of bimetallic sulfide materials integrated cathode with well-defined hierarchical nanoarchitectures plays a vital role in boosting the electrochemical performance of hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs). Herein, sulfur vacancies reinforced cobalt molybdenum sulfide nanosheets (Vs-CMS) integrated cathodes are prepared by hydrothermal and NaBH4 reduction methods. The introduction of sulfur vacancies in CMS not only contributes to more active sites for faradic redox reactions but also accelerates electron and ion transmission. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of well-defined hierarchical nanoarchitecture and sulfur vacancies, the optimal Vs-CMS integrated cathode delivers a high areal capacity of 0.56 mAh cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2, good rate performance of 0.34 mAh cm−2 at 30 mA cm−2, and excellent cycling stability with 96.7% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles. Furthermore, capacitive-type porous framework activated carbon (PFAC) anodes are used to couple with the optimal Vs-CMS cathodes for assembling HSCs. The as-obtained PFAC anodes possess a high specific capacitance of 112.1 F g− 1 at 0.25 A g− 1, high rate capability of 46.3 F g− 1 at 10 A g− 1, and good cycling stability of 95.5% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. The as-assembled HSCs deliver maximum energy density of 73.2 Wh kg−1 and power density of 3014.7 W kg−1, and prominent cyclic stability of 93.3% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles.

Highly active Co2P/2H-1T MoS2 cocatalyst with fast charge transfer and H2 production reaction toward effective photocatalytic activity of P-TiO2

Cobalt phosphide (Co2P) and molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) have been shown to be efficient cocatalysts for photocatalytic H2O splitting reactions in hydrogen (H2) production. However, maintaining remarkable stability while obtaining high photocatalytic efficiency remains challenging due to the limited optical absorption. Herein, Co2P and MoS2 nanospecies were securely mounted as cocatalysts on phosphorous-titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanobelts to achieve increased activity and stability for photocatalytic H2 evolution. The photocatalytic H2 yield of the 2Co2P/P-TiO2/2H-1T MoS2 material driven by visible light was 4156 μmol/g, which was 129 and 2.3 times higher compared to those of TiO2 (32 μmol/g) and 2H-1T MoS2/TiO2 (1800 μmol/g), respectively. In particular, 2Co2P/P-TiO2/2H-1T MoS2 exhibited consistently stable photocatalytic H2 evolution while undergoing more than eight cycles of reactions for a total of 8 h. A thorough understanding of the modification effect of the Co2P and 2H-1T MoS2 nanospecies reveals that the modification strongly promotes the migration and separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and increases the interaction at the heterointerfaces between the Co2P and 2H-1T MoS2 nanospecies and P-TiO2 nanobelts. This study broadens the potential use of Co2P and 2H-1T MoS2 as co-catalysts for the photocatalytic conversion of solar energy to chemical energy.

Exploring the Sub-nanoscale Structure of Cobalt Molybdenum Sulfide and the Role of a Cobalt Promoter in Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Cobalt-promoted molybdenum sulfide (CoMoS) is known as a promising catalyst for H2 evolution reaction and hydrogen desulfurization reaction. This material exhibits superior catalytic activity as compared to its pristine molybdenum sulfide counterpart. However, revealing the actual structure of cobalt-promoted molybdenum sulfide as well as the plausible contribution of a cobalt promoter is still challenging, especially when the material has an amorphous nature. Herein, we report, for the first time, on the use of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), being a nondestructive nuclear radiation-based method, to visualize the position of a Co promoter within the structure of MoS at the atomic scale, which is inaccessible by conventional characterization tools. It is found that at low concentrations, a Co atom occupies preferably the Mo-vacancies, thus generating the ternary phase CoMoS whose structure is composed of a Co-S-Mo building block. Increasing the Co concentration, e.g., a Co/Mo molar ratio of higher than 1.12/1, leads to the occupation of both Mo-vacancies and S-vacancies by Co. In this case, secondary phases such as MoS and CoS are also produced together with the CoMoS one. Combining the PAS and electrochemical analyses, we highlight the important contribution of a Co promoter to enhancing the catalytic H2 evolution activity. Having more Co promoter in the Mo-vacancies promotes the H2 evolution rate, whereas having Co in the S-vacancies causes a drop in H2 evolution ability. Furthermore, the occupation of Co to the S-vacancies leads also to the destabilization of the CoMoS catalyst, resulting in a rapid degradation of catalytic activity.

A Step Forward: Hydrogen Production on Cobalt Molybdenum Sulfide Electrocatalyst in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer

Cobalt molybdenum sulfide (Co0.5Mo0.5Sx) was evaluated, as an alternative cathode catalyst for hydrogen large scale production in an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer (AEMWE). Performance testing in a Co0.5Mo0.5Sx//Ir single cell fed with 0.1 mol L–1 KOH exhibited the best activity reported to date for transition metal sulfide cathodes in alkaline media. The aforementioned cell presented good stability during 40 h of operation at 2 V; in addition, it has most of its current density degradation recovered in the beginning of the subsequent 10 h interval.

Efficient Point-of-Care Detection of Uric Acid in the Human Blood Sample with an Enhanced Electrocatalytic Response Using Nanocomposites of Cobalt and Mixed-Valent Molybdenum Sulfide.

This work efficiently detects uric acid (UA) in a human blood sample using cobalt nanoparticle-immobilized mixed-valent molybdenum sulfide on the copper substrate in a point-of-care (PoC) device. The sensor electrode was fabricated by micromachining of Cu clad boards employing an engraver to generate a three-electrode system consisting of working electrode (WE), reference electrode (RE), and counter electrode (CE). The WE was subjected to physical vapor deposition of mixed-valent MoSx layers by a reaction between Mo(CO)6 and H2S at ∼200 °C using a simple setup following which CoNPs were electrochemically deposited. The RE and CE were covered with Ag/AgCl and Ag paste, respectively. A plasma separation membrane acted as the medium of UA/blood serum delivery to the electrodes. The material and electrochemical characterization confirmed that CoNPs over MoSx provided an enlarged electroactive surface for the direct electron transfer to achieve an enhanced electrocatalytic response. The binary combination of CoNPs and MoSx layers over the Cu electrode reduced the charge-transfer resistance by two times, enhanced the surface adsorption by more than two times, and yielded a high diffusion coefficient of 3.46 × 10-3 cm2/s. These interfacial effects facilitated the UA oxidation, leading to unprecedented mA range current density for UA sensing for the PoC device. The electrochemical detection tests in the PoC device revealed a sensitivity of 64.7 μA/μM cm-2, which is ∼50 times higher compared to the latest reported value (1.23 μA/μM cm-2), a high limit of detection of 5 nM, and shelf life of 6 months, confirming the synergistic effect-mediated high sensitivity under PoC settings. Interference tests confirmed no intervention of similar analytes. Tests on blood samples demonstrated a recovery percentage close to 100% in human serum UA, signifying the suitability of the nanocomposite-based sensor and the PoC device for clinical sensing applications.

Nitrogen-Doped Cobalt–Molybdenum Sulfide Hybrid Heterojunctions as Active Electrocatalysts for Producing Hydrogen in Alkaline Media

Nitrogen-Doped Cobalt–Molybdenum Sulfide Hybrid Heterojunctions as Active Electrocatalysts for Producing Hydrogen in Alkaline Media

Taking Advantage of Teamwork: Unsupported Cobalt Molybdenum Sulfide as an Active HER Electrocatalyst in Alkaline Media

A bimetallic cobalt molybdenum sulfide (Co0.5Mo0.5Sx) material was studied as candidate electrocatalyst to replace platinum-based cathode for HER reaction in alkaline media. The Co0.5Mo0.5Sx was obtained from a hydrothermal synthesis methodology employing sodium diethyldithiocarbamate as sulfurizing agent, a non-conventional compound. The recovered sulfide material was physicochemically characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, TEM and XPS measurements. Analogous monometallic sulfides were also synthesized to compare their HER activities to that of Co0.5Mo0.5Sx. Such electrochemical characterization was performed by the application of polarization and EIS analyzes in 1 M KOH. An evident synergistic effect emerged in the bimetallic sulfide and it was associated with the design of a catalyst less susceptible to air-oxidation added to the roles performed by cobalt- and molybdenum-based species in the HER mechanism. Finally, a physical mixture of Co0.5Mo0.5Sx and Carbon Vulcan was prepared aiming to enhance the electronic conductivity of the electrode. As result, an overpotential of 131 mV was requested to achieve −10 mA cm−2. In addition, to achieve −200 mA cm−2, this electrode only needed an overpotential 66 mV higher than the one necessary for the benchmarking 40% Pt/C electrocatalyst.

Thin layer of nano nomposite RGO COMOS as a counter electrode on Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC)

This research aims to synthesis of GO using the Hummer method and the effect of adding CoS(Cobalt Sulfide) and CoMoS(Cobalt Molybdenum Sulfide) Nano composites to RGO as a counter electrode of DSSC. RGO doped CoMoS and RGO doped CoMoS was synthesis using solvothermal method by adding nanocomposite CoS and CoMoS to GO by heating 200˚C. RGO CoMoS powder was formed into a paste by stirring and adding a polymer binder. The paste was deposited onto the FTO glass substrate by the slip casting method so that a thin sheet was obtained on the substrate and applied as a counter electrode on the DSSC. This composite will be measured and tested for the morphology of its layer using SEM and tested for electrical properties with Keithley I-V meter. The additional of CoS and CoMoS may cause the changes crystal size of RGO. RGO CoMoS has higher efficiency than GO and RGO. Thin film of RGO CoMoS can be used of counter electrode DSSC that has Voc= 0,39volt, fill factor (FF) 34,32% and η= 1,54%.

Defect-rich CoMoS nanosheets on PANI nanowires as excellent hybrid electrocatalyst for water splitting

Developing economic, efficient, and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for producing oxygen and hydrogen simultaneously remains challenging. Here, we design and fabricate vertically aligned cobalt molybdenum sulfide (CoMoS) nanosheets on a conductive polyaniline (PANI) nanowire on nickel foam (NF) by a one-step solvothermal synthesis. The hybrid CoMoS-PANI array demonstrates low overpotentials of 250 and 98 mV, to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm–2 in an alkaline solution, for the oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions, respectively. As an electrolyzer for overall water splitting, CoMoS-PANI/NF, as both the anode and the cathode, exhibits a current density of 10 mA cm–2 at a low cell voltage, 1.58 V. Furthermore, good stability for 50 h at a current density of 20 mA cm–2 during overall splitting suggests that CoMoS-PANI can be promoted as a highly efficient and stable bifunctional catalyst. The upgraded electrocatalytic activity of CoMoS-PANI can be ascribed to its defect-rich structure, the exhibition of the PANI nanowire to effective electron transfer, and the ample of active catalytic sites provided by the synergistic effect of the hybrid structures. This work is a promising step towards the design and exploration of hybrid materials as excellent electrocatalysts for renewable energy generation.

Robust Electrodes for Flexible Energy Storage Devices Based on Bimetallic Encapsulated Core-Multishell Structures.

Developing flexible electrodes with high active materials loading and excellent mechanical stability is of importance to flexible electronics, yet remains challenging. Herein, robust flexible electrodes with an encapsulated core‐multishell structure are developed via a spraying‐hydrothermal process. The multilayer electrode possesses an architecture of substrate/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/bimetallic complex/rGO/bimetallic complex/rGO from the inside to the outside, where the cellulosic fibers serve as the substrate, namely, the core; and the multiple layers of rGO and bimetallic complex, are used as active materials, namely, the shells. The inner two rGO interlayers function as the cement that chemically bind to two adjacent layers, while the two outer rGO layers encapsulate the inside structure effectively protecting the electrode from materials detachment or electrolyte corrosion. The electrodes with a unique core‐multishell structure exhibit excellent cycle stability and exceptional temperature tolerance (−25 to 40 °C) for lithium and sodium storage. A combination of experimental and theoretical investigations are carried out to gain insights into the synergetic effects of cobalt‐molybdenum‐sulfide (CMS) materials (the bimetallic complex), which will provide guidance for future exploration of bimetallic sulfides. This strategy is further demonstrated in other substrates, showing general applicability and great potential in the development of flexible energy storage devices.

Highly efficient porous morphology of cobalt molybdenum sulfide for overall water splitting reaction

Hydrogen produced from water splitting is a good alternative to conventional energy sources such as fossil fuels. A highly porous cobalt molybdenum sulfide (CoMoS4) electrocatalyst was fabricated using a simple chemical synthesis route. The porous CoMoS4 acts as an active electrocatalyst in alkaline medium for the oxygen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of 256 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA/cm2. CoMoS4 also acts as an active catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at an overpotential of 143 mV. An alkaline electrolyzer cell was constructed, where CoMoS4 was used as both the anode and cathode for the overall water splitting reaction with a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at a cell voltage of 1.65 V. This study confirms that CoMoS4 is a potential candidate as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting reaction.

Amorphous CoMoSx/N-Doped Carbon Hybrid with 3D Networks as Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution

Catalytic materials without using precious metallic elements for electrocatalytic water splitting are a crucial demand to the renewable energy production. Cobalt molybdenum sulfide (CoMoSx) is one of the promising candidates for such purpose. Yet, the sparse catalytic active sites and poor electrical conductivity limit its catalytic performance. Here, we presented an efficient strategy to synthesize amorphous cobalt molybdenum supported on tree-dimensional network N-doped carbon nanofibers (CoMoSx/NCNFs) with the enlarged surface area. The obtained catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) methods, and the catalytic activity was evaluated by electrochemical technique. In contrast to large aggregate CoMoSx particles grown on carbon paper electrode without NCNFs, CoMoSx/NCNFs/CP hybrid materials possess porous structure with an abundance of exposed active sites stacked onto NCNF surface. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between the amorphous CoMoSx and the underlying NCNF network, CoMoSx/NCNFs hybrid exhibits an excellent activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a low onset overpotential of 117 mV, a Tafel slope of 75 mV/decade, and good stability.

Insights into the Mo-Doping Effect on the Electrocatalytic Performance of Hierarchical CoxMoyS Nanosheet Arrays for Hydrogen Generation and Urea Oxidation.

Energy-efficient, low-cost, and highly durable catalysts for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR) are extremely important for related sustainable energy systems. In the present work, hierarchical coassembled cobalt molybdenum sulfide nanosheets deposited on carbon cloth (CC) were synthesized as catalysts for hydrogen evolution and urea oxidation. By adjusting the doping amount of Mo, 2D nanosheets with different morphologies and compositions (CoxMoyS-CC) can be obtained. The as-prepared nanosheet materials with abundant active sites exhibit superior properties on the electrochemical HER and UOR in alkaline medium. Significantly, the Mo-doping concentration and composition of the formed nanosheets have large effects on the electrocatalytic activity. The fabricated nanosheets with optimal Mo doping (Co3Mo1S-CC) illustrate the best catalytic properties for the HER in N2-saturated 1.0 M KOH. A small overpotential (85 mV) is needed to meet the current density of 10 mA/cm2. This study indicates that the doping of an appropriate amount of molybdenum into CoS2 nanosheets can efficiently improve the catalytic performance. Also, the nanosheet catalyst exhibits an extremely high electrocatalytic activity for the UOR, and the electrochemical results indicate that a relatively low cell voltage of 1.50 V is needed to obtain the current density of 10 mA/cm2. The present work demonstrates the potential application of CoMoS nanosheets in the energy electrocatalysis area and the insights into performance-boosting through heteroatom doping and optimization of the composition and structure.

Nitrogen-doped graphene encapsulated FeCoMoS nanoparticles as advanced trifunctional catalyst for water splitting devices and zinc–air batteries

Emerging demands for the highly active, durable, and cost-effective trifunctional catalysts for overall water splitting and metal–air batteries in the scientific community. Herein, a novel strategy is demonstrated for the rational design of hierarchical iron cobalt molybdenum sulfide nanoflower encapsulated in nitrogen doped graphene (FeCoMoS@NG) through a facile, cost-effective, and single-step in-situ hydrothermal process. Owing to its hierarchical nanostructures, larger specific surface area, and exclusive porous networks, the optimal FeCoMoS@NG shows excellent catalytic activities for OER ƞ10 = 238 mV, HER ƞ10 = 137 mV, and ORR (0.83 V vs RHE). Most significantly, FeCoMoS@NG||FeCoMoS@NG water splitting device achieves a cell voltage of 1.58 V at 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, FeCoMoS@NG based zinc–air battery endows a high power density of 118 mW cm−2, and overall water splitting was successfully driven by FeCoMoS@NG based zinc–air battery. This work provides new pathway for designing highly active and durable multifunctional catalysts for energy conversion and storage applications.

Cover Feature: Understanding the Co : Mo Compositional Modulation and Fe‐Interplay in Multicomponent Sulfide Electrocatalysts for Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions (ChemElectroChem 13/2020)

The Cover Feature illustrates two compositionally modulated cobalt—molybdenum–sulfide electrocatalysts specifically designed for the cathode and anode in complete alkaline water splitting, and, thereby, the interplay of iron towards enhancing the oxygen evolution reaction. More information can be found in the Article by A. Mukherji et al.

Understanding the Co : Mo Compositional Modulation and Fe‐Interplay in Multicomponent Sulfide Electrocatalysts for Oxygen and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

AbstractAmidst the escalating urge in the economical generation of clean hydrogen fuel from water, this article presents the development of simple and economical electrocatalysts, Cobalt Molybdenum Sulfides (Co−Mo−S), for oxygen evolution (OER) and hydrogen evolution (HER) reactions. The compositional modulation of Co and Mo produces the highly active catalysts, Co0.75Mo0.25Sx for OER and Co0.40Mo0.60Sx for HER. Moreover, the potentiality of Fe incorporation in CoMoSx is demonstrated in enhancing the OER performance of the catalyst. The best catalyst for OER (Fe0.05Co0.70Mo0.25Sx) achieves a current of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential (η10) of 227 mV (1.457 V vs RHE) while that for HER (Co0.40Mo0.60Sx) requires only 130 mV (−0.13 V vs. RHE) of η10. The holistic enhancement of the OER kinetics is attributed to the facile generation of CoOOH in the co‐existence of Fe at oxidation states≥+3, and Mo at +6 and +5 states. Finally, a complete water electrolyser is demonstrated using Fe0.05Co0.70Mo0.25Sx as the anode and Co0.40Mo0.60Sx as the cathode.

Hierarchical core-shell hollow CoMoS4@Ni–Co–S nanotubes hybrid arrays as advanced electrode material for supercapacitors

Despite cobalt molybdenum sulfide (CoMoS4)-based materials are a prospective class of electrode material for supercapacitors, their relatively inferior rate capability and cyclic stability have severely restricted practical applications. Engineering multicomponent binder-free electrode material is deemed an effective approach to fulfill the demand of high-performance supercapacitors. Herein, the hierarchical core-shell hollow CoMoS4@Ni–Co–S nanotubes supported on flexible carbon cloth are designed through a scalable hydrothermal method combined with electrodeposition process. Due to the synergistic contribution of highly conductive CoMoS4 nanotubes core and highly active nickel cobalt sulfide nanosheets shell, the 3D hierarchical CoMoS4@Ni–Co–S nanotubes electrode achieves a remarkable specific capacitance of 2208.5 F g−1 at a rate of 1 A g−1 and extraordinary cycling life (91.3% capacitance retention over 5000 cycles at 3 A g−1). Moreover, the assembled CoMoS4@Ni–Co–S//activated carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor presents satisfactory electrochemical performance, delivering an energy density of 49.1 W h kg−1 at a high power density of 800 W kg−1 and competitive cyclic stability (90.3% retention of initial capacity after 10000 cycles). This work designs an effective synthetic route and validates the potential prospects of binder-free 3D hierarchical architecture for developing high-performance and advanced energy storage devices.

Cobalt molybdenum sulfide decorated with highly conductive sulfur-doped carbon as an electrocatalyst for the enhanced activity of hydrogen evolution reaction

An advanced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst was designed by using Co, Mo and S to prepare a CoMoS4/sulfur-doped carbon (SDC) composite. Interestingly, CoMoS4/SDC resulted in an improvement in the HER performance with the use of varying amounts of SDC. Therefore, the fundamental structural changes of CoMoS4/SDC were scrutinized using various physicochemical techniques, which identified Co9S8 as the dominant active phase. The optimized CoMoS4/SDC ratio demonstrated excellent HER activity, with an onset potential of 132 mV and a low Tafel slope of 48 mV/dec. Moreover, the stability of CoMoS4/SDC with respect to the HER was demonstrated over a wide range of pH values from 0 to 14. In addition, the developed catalyst was modified in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer to investigate its sustainability, and it exhibited good stability for 100 h at a current density of 110 mA/cm2 and an overpotential of 220 mV. There was no deterioration in the catalytic activity over the 100 h of operation.

Template synthesis of cobalt molybdenum sulfide hollow nanoboxes as enhanced bifunctional Pt-free electrocatalysts for dye-sensitized solar cells and alkaline hydrogen evolution

Due to the unique features including well-defined void space and high surface-to-volume ratio, non-noble metal catalysts with hollow structures have received intensive researches in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we prepare a series of cobalt-incorporated molybdenum sulfide hollow nanoboxes (denoted as Co-MoSx NBs) via a one-step fleet template conversion from cube-shaped Co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 which precipitated without prolonged aged process. During above transformation, it is notable that the surface morphologies of nanobox can be effectively tailored by the proportion of MoS42−. The as-obtained Co-MoSx NBs with well-defined boxed structure and the appropriate doped ratio are developed as bifunctional catalysts for accelerating both reduction of I3− in DSSCs and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). As expected, a high power conversion efficiency (9.64%) is achieved by Co-MoSx-1/3 NBs based DSSC under AM 1.5G irradiation, which is much preceded to that of Pt (8.39%). Meanwhile, the practical utilization of Co-MoSx-1/3 NBs for HER yields a low onset overpotential (35 mV) and a small Tafel slope (61.4 mV decade−1) in alkaline medium.