Pt-Doped Biomass Carbon Decorated with MoS₂ Nanosheets as an Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

It is necessary to develop an efficient hydrogen evolution catalyst to improve the efficiency of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, a MoS₂ nanosheet is decorated on the Pt-doping biomass yeast cells (MoS₂@Pt/YC) via a simple hydrothermal process. Reducing the noble metal loading without compromising its performance is a challenging task. The smooth surface of YCs is conducive to the growth of MoS₂ nanosheets, and its functional groups provide attachment sites for metal Pt. The Pt/YC is covered with MoS₂ nanosheets, thus improving the exposed active sites for HER. The obtained MoS₂@Pt/YC delivers a competitive overpotential of 118 mV at the benchmark current density of 10 mA cm^-2 and achieves a small Tafel slope of 74 mV dec^-1, indicating the great HER performance of MoS₂@Pt/YC. Moreover, MoS₂@Pt/YC shows robust stability after 24 h of continuous operation toward HER in acidic solution. By introducing transition metal sulfides with high specific surface area, the loading of precious metals can be reduced without compromising properties. This work provides a method to design Pt-doping HER electrocatalysts through a simple method. The facile preparation process for MoS₂@Pt/YC and its outstanding performance allow it to be a promising electrocatalyst for practical HER application.