Liquid Crystal Template Assisted Electrodeposition of Molybdenum Sulfide Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Fiber as Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

摘要

Liquid crystal template (LCT) assisted electrodeposition has been utilized to prepare the amorphousMoSx nanoparticles supported on carbon fiber (MoSx/CF(LCT)) as electrocatalyst for hydrogenevolution reaction (HER). For comparison, MoSx electrodeposited in water solution (MoSx/CF(H2O))has also been obtained under the same condition. For both LCT and water solution, the as-depositedMoSx shows similar amorphous structure, whereas LCT-derived MoSx exhibits unique nanoparticlesuniformly distributing on CF, compared with smooth plane structures of water solution-derived MoSx.The unique LCT-derived MoSx nanoparticles may be favorable for more exposure of active sites,improving the contact with electrolyte and accelerating charge transfer. Compared withMoSx/CF(H2O), MoSx/CF(LCT) show superior HER activities as well as excellent stability in theelectrochemical measurements. SEM images demonstrate the structural stability of MoSx/CF(LCT)with nearly unchangeable nanoparticle morphology. Therefore, the LCT-assisted electrodepositionmay provide a facile routine to obtain transition metal-based sulfides with unique nanostructure as wellas excellent HER properties.