Ni2P@MoS2/CC catalysts with heterogeneous structure are used for highly efficient electrolysis of water for hydrogen evolution

Efficient and inexpensive electrocatalysts play an important role in electrolysis of water and hydrogen evolution reaction. The catalytic activity of electrocatalyst can be improved by adjusting the electronic structure and increasing the active center. In this study, Ni2P nanosheets were grown on carbon cloth through straightforward solvothermal, and tiny MoS2 nanosheets were uniformly covered on Ni2P nanosheets by in-situ growth method to form heterogeneous electrocatalyst (Ni2P @ MoS2/CC). The results show that Ni2P @ MoS2/CC had more active sites than Ni2P/CC and MoS2/CC catalysts. In addition, the interface interaction based on heterogeneous structure promotes its charge transfer kinetics. In alkaline electrolyte, Ni2P @ MoS2/CC electrocatalyst had good HER performance. At a current density of 10 mA cm−2, the overpotential was 99 mV, and the Tafel slope was 97 mV dec−1. In addition, the catalyst showed excellent electrochemical stability, with no significant loss of activity after 2000 cyclic voltammetry tests and 50 h i-t tests.