NiS/MoS2 complex grown on carbon paper as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for full water splitting

The development of transition metal-based materials to replace precious metal electrocatalysts in a facile and efficient approach is of great importance for water splitting. The NiS/MoS2 complex grown in situ on carbon paper (NiS/MoS2/CP) by a one-step hydrothermal method was successfully constructed as an efficient electrocatalyst. The synergetic effects of the superhydrophilic/aerophobic surface, hierarchical nanostructure and strong mechanical adhesion to a highly conductive substrate give the NiS/MoS2/CP complex outstanding catalytic activity and durability. Specifically, it exhibits relatively low overpotentials of 119 mV (at a current density of 10 mA cm−2) and 314 mV (at a current density of 100 mA cm−2) for the hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction, respectively. In addition, the NiS/MoS2/CP complex can also be used as an electrolyzer that reaches a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a cell voltage of 1.48 V without decay after 30 h of durability testing, making it an ideal electrocatalyst for water splitting towards practical application.