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Nano Research 2024, 17(3): 1267-1280 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6118-8
Research Article | Issue | Published: 27 September 2023

Synergistic integration of self-supported 1T/2H-WS2 and nitrogen-doped rGO on carbon cloth for pH-universal electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Show Author's Information Feng Ming Yap1,2,  Jian Yiing Loh1,2,  Wee-Jun Ong1,2,3,4,5( )
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan 43900, Malaysia
Center of Excellence for NaNo Energy & Catalysis Technology (CONNECT), Xiamen University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan 43900, Malaysia
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Gulei Innovation Institute, Xiamen University, Zhangzhou 363200, China
Shenzhen Research Institute of Xiamen University, Shenzhen 518057, China
Keywords:
water splitting, pH-universal, self-supported electrocatalyst, phase engineering, carbon-based substrate
Topics:
Electrocatalysis
Cite this article:
Yap FM, Loh JY, Ong W-J. Synergistic integration of self-supported 1T/2H-WS2 and nitrogen-doped rGO on carbon cloth for pH-universal electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Nano Research, 2024, 17(3): 1267-1280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-6118-8
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Abstract Full text Electronic supplementary material About this article

Hydrogen economy based on electrochemical water splitting exemplified one of the most promising means for overcoming the rapid consumption of fossil fuels and the serious deterioration of global climate. The development of earth-abundant, efficient, and durable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) plays a vital role in the commercialization of water electrolysis. Regard, the self-supported electrode with unique nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) nanoflakes and WS2 hierarchical nanoflower that were grown directly on carbon cloth (CC) substrate (WS2/N-rGO/CC) was successfully synthesized using a facile dual-step hydrothermal approach. The as-synthesized 50% 1T/2H-WS2/N-rGO/CC (WGC), which possessed high metallic 1T phase of 57% not only efficiently exposed more active sites and accelerated mass/charge diffusion, but also endowed excellent structural lustiness, robust stability, and durability at a high current density. As a result, the 50% WGC exhibited lower overpotentials and Tafel slopes of 21.13 mV (29.55 mV∙dec−1) and 80.35 mV (137.02 mV∙dec−1) as compared to 20% Pt-C/CC, respectively for catalyzing acidic and alkaline hydrogen evolution reactions. Pivotally, the as-synthesized 50% WGC also depicted long-term stability for more than 8 h in the high-current-density regions (100 and 220 mA∙cm−2). In brief, this work reveals a self-supported electrode as an extraordinary alternative to Pt-based catalysts for HER in a wide pH range, while paving a facile strategy to develop advanced electrocatalysts with abundant heterointerfaces for practical applications in energy-saving hydrogen production.


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Electronic supplementary material
About this article

Synergistic integration of self-supported 1T/2H-WS2 and nitrogen-doped rGO on carbon cloth for pH-universal electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Show Author's information Feng Ming Yap1,2, Jian Yiing Loh1,2, Wee-Jun Ong1,2,3,4,5( )
School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan 43900, Malaysia
Center of Excellence for NaNo Energy & Catalysis Technology (CONNECT), Xiamen University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan 43900, Malaysia
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Gulei Innovation Institute, Xiamen University, Zhangzhou 363200, China
Shenzhen Research Institute of Xiamen University, Shenzhen 518057, China

Abstract

Hydrogen economy based on electrochemical water splitting exemplified one of the most promising means for overcoming the rapid consumption of fossil fuels and the serious deterioration of global climate. The development of earth-abundant, efficient, and durable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) plays a vital role in the commercialization of water electrolysis. Regard, the self-supported electrode with unique nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) nanoflakes and WS2 hierarchical nanoflower that were grown directly on carbon cloth (CC) substrate (WS2/N-rGO/CC) was successfully synthesized using a facile dual-step hydrothermal approach. The as-synthesized 50% 1T/2H-WS2/N-rGO/CC (WGC), which possessed high metallic 1T phase of 57% not only efficiently exposed more active sites and accelerated mass/charge diffusion, but also endowed excellent structural lustiness, robust stability, and durability at a high current density. As a result, the 50% WGC exhibited lower overpotentials and Tafel slopes of 21.13 mV (29.55 mV∙dec−1) and 80.35 mV (137.02 mV∙dec−1) as compared to 20% Pt-C/CC, respectively for catalyzing acidic and alkaline hydrogen evolution reactions. Pivotally, the as-synthesized 50% WGC also depicted long-term stability for more than 8 h in the high-current-density regions (100 and 220 mA∙cm−2). In brief, this work reveals a self-supported electrode as an extraordinary alternative to Pt-based catalysts for HER in a wide pH range, while paving a facile strategy to develop advanced electrocatalysts with abundant heterointerfaces for practical applications in energy-saving hydrogen production.

Keywords: water splitting, pH-universal, self-supported electrocatalyst, phase engineering, carbon-based substrate

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Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 12 July 2023
Revised: 14 August 2023
Accepted: 19 August 2023
Published: 27 September 2023
Issue date: March 2024

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2023

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (No. FRGS/1/2020/TK0/XMU/02/1). We would also like to thank the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Malaysia under the Strategic Research Fund (SRF-APP) (No. S.22015). The authors would also like to acknowledge the financial supports provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22202168) and the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2021A1515111019). This work was also funded by the Xiamen University Malaysia Investigatorship Grant (No. IENG/0038), the Xiamen University Malaysia Research Fund (Nos. ICOE/0001, XMUMRF/2021-C8/IENG/0041, and XMUMRF/2019-C3/IENG/0013), and the Hengyuan International Sdn. Bhd. (No. EENG/0003).

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