Core–shell bimetallic copper–molybdenum sulfides nanomaterials derived from a Cu-based metal-organic framework as efficient bifunctional electrocatalyts

The critical depletion of fossil fuels and the alarming increase in environmental pollution highlight the urgent need to develop efficient and durable electrocatalysts to produce renewable energy. We propose a hydrothermal synthesis of a CuxS@MoS2 core–shell hybrid electrocatalyst with enhanced catalytic activity for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Utilizing Cu-BTC as a template, our proposed hydrothermal synthesis results in a unique core–shell morphology comprising bimetallic metal sulfide components. This configuration effectively expands the electrochemically active surface area, enhancing charge transfer kinetics and improving catalytic activity. The optimized CuxS@MoS2 electrocatalyst presents low overpotentials of 141 and 334 mV for the OER and HER, respectively, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm−2. This novel synthesis offers a feasible strategy for the preparation of high-efficiency core–shell bimetallic metal sulfide nanomaterials suitable for application in various fields such as energy conversion and storage.