Interface Effect of Ru-MoS₂ Nanoflowers on Lignin Substrate for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Activity

The catalytic performance of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has been still far from that of Pt-based catalysts for inadequate active sites and sluggish electron transfer kinetics. Through engineering the interface between MoS₂-based materials and supported substrates, hybrid Ru-doped MoS₂ on carbonized lignin (CL) is designed and prepared as efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The CL substrate not only facilitates the growth of MoS₂ nanoflowers, but also promotes the electron transfer. Ru doping increases active sites greatly for HER. The hybrid catalyst achieves a low onset overpotential of 25 mV and a low Tafel slope of 46 mV dec⁻¹. The favorable HER activity ascribes to the interfacial interaction between MoS₂ and CL. Density functional theory calculations further confirm the improved HER performance with doped Ru atoms. This study presents a prototype application to design electrocatalysts with enhanced carrier mobility and high-density active sites based on interface effect.