MoS<sub>2</sub> nanosheets grown on Mo meshes via hydrothermal method: Hierarchical structure-mediated high efficiency for dye degradation and electrochemical hydrogen evolution.

Abstract

Electrocatalytic hydrogen production is recognized to be the most effective way to obtain hydrogen energy, and MoS₂ is the important electrocatalyst for H₂ generation. MoS₂ nanosheets/Mo meshes catalyst was hydrothermally prepared by the in-situ sulfidation of Mo meshes by changing the thiourea concentration. The morphology, light absorption and electrochemical performances were investigated in detail. The MoS₂/Mo meshes exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation of dyes and electrocatalytic H₂ evolution performances. The catalyst exhibited high solar response and photocatalytic MB photodegradation, and the electrode had the outstanding electrocatalytic property with low overpotential (364 mV for the current of 10 mA cm^-2) and high capacitance (196.7 mF cm^-2). The electrocatalytic H₂ evolution rate of MoS₂/Mo mesh photoelectrode was 284.87 μmol cm^-2·h^-1, and the remarkable photocatalytic and electrocatalytic properties were mainly ascribed to the large surface area and massive active site. This work innovatively achieves in-situ growth of MoS₂ nanosheets on Mo meshes via hydrothermal sulfidation, realizing synergistic optimization of photocatalytic dye degradation and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution through hierarchical structure regulation.