MOF-Derived Flower-like MoS₂@TiO₂ Nanohybrids with Enhanced Activity for Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

A simple hydrothermal method is developed for synthesizing crystalline MoS₂@TiO₂ nanohybrids with metal-organic framework (MOF) as precursor. At an optimal ratio of 14.6 wt % MoS₂, the resultant material exhibits prominent catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a high hydrogen production rate of 10 046 μmol h^-1 g^-1 under visible light illumination with fluorescein as photosensitizer. Furthermore, the synthesized catalyst also possesses an attractive electrocatalytic activity with an onset overpotential of -300 mV (vs RHE) and a Tafel slope of ∼81 mV dec^-1. The enhanced catalyst performances are mainly attributed to the in situ formed active sites, featuring a uniform dispersion and strong connection of MoS₂ and TiO₂, which can facilitate electron transfer. In addition, the MoS₂@TiO₂ nanohybrids are highly stable and completely recyclable over HER.