MoS₂/NiS heterostructure nanosheets as bifunctional electrocatalysts for efficient water splitting

Abstract

The design and fabrication of cost-effective and efficient bifunctional water splitting electrocatalysts is of great significance to the development of clean energy. Herein, we successfully synthesized free-standing MoS₂/NiS heterostructure nanosheet electrocatalyst via templating strategy. Benefiting from the two-dimensional (2D) architecture of MoS₂/NiS heterostructure, the few-layer structural features of MoS₂, and synergistic effects between heterogeneous components, the catalyst demonstrated enhanced electrochemical performance for water splitting. The as-obtained MoS₂/NiS heterostructured catalyst exhibited overpotentials of 206 mV at 10 mA cm⁻² and 400 mV at 100 mA cm⁻² for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. Notably, when configured as a dual-electrode electrolyzer cell, the MoS₂/NiS operates a working voltage of 1.59 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻². This work presents a viable approach for designing high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalysts.