Heterostructured MoSe2/Oxygen-Terminated Ti3C2 MXene Architectures for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

• Published in: Energy & fuels Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 4609 - 4615
• Main Authors: Xiao, Weiping, Yan, Daqiang, Zhang, Yu, Yang, Xiaofei, Zhang, Tierui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 04.03.2021
• Subjects: electrochemistry; electron transfer; energy; hydrogen production; nanosheets; Non-Carbon-Based Fuels; semiconductors; thermodynamics
• ISSN: 0887-0624; 1520-5029; 1520-5029
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.1c00123

Two-dimensional (2D) atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenide MoSe2 has been identified as one of the highly active noble-metal-free catalysts for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), owing to its excellent electronic property and rich active sites. However, the electrocatalytic hydrogen-evolving activity is still hindered by its moderate conductivity, arising from semiconducting property and the thermodynamically stable basal plane. It is anticipated that the integration of 2D MoSe2 nanosheets with a highly conductive large-area 2D substrate enables the accelerated interfacial electron transfer and the enhanced HER performance. We report herein a facile and scalable fabrication of 2D MoSe2/2D Ti3C2 MXene heterostructured architecture, where the layered MoSe2 nanosheets are in situ decorated on the exfoliated oxygen-terminated Ti3C2 MXene flakes. In comparison to pristine MoSe2 and the MoSe2/unmodified Ti3C2 MXene hybrids, the composite electrocatalysts of MoSe2 nanosheets and oxygen-terminated Ti3C2 MXene exhibited improved HER activities, owing to higher electrochemically active surface areas, an oxygen-substituted surface, and the synergy effect between nanosized MoSe2 and oxygen-terminated MXene nanosheets. This study serves to promote continuous efforts toward low-cost, high-performance HER electrocatalysts by taking advantage of merits of transition metal dichalcogenides and 2D nanostructures.