Growth of layered WS<inf>2</inf> electrocatalysts for highly efficient hydrogen production reaction

Abstract

Seeking more economical alternative electrocatalysts without sacrificing much in performance to replace precious metal Pt is one of the major research topics in hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). Tungsten disulfide (WS ) has been recognized as a promising substitute for Pt owing to its high efficiency and low-cost. Since most existing works adopt solution-synthesized WS crystallites for HER, direct growth of WS layered materials on conducting substrates should offer new opportunities. The growth of WS by the thermolysis of ammonium tetrathiotungstate (NH ) WS was examined under various gaseous environments. Structural analysis and electrochemical studies show that the H S environment leads to the WS catalysts with superior HER performance with an extremely low overpotential (η10 = 184 mV). 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 2 2