Fabrication of platinum-doped WS2 hollow spheres catalyst for high-efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

In this study, tungsten disulfide (WS2) was synthesized by a facile one-step hydrothermal method, and an excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst was produced by doping the prepared WS2 with platinum (Pt) using platinum chloride solution. The diameters of the WS2 hollow spheres ranged from 400 to 2 µm, and they exhibited an overpotential of 210 mV at 10 mA/cm2. The Pt-doped WS2 exhibited a low overpotential of 60 mV owing to an increase in the charge transfer rate and conductivity of WS2 upon Pt doping. The as-prepared Pt-doped WS2 exhibited excellent HER activity and good stability in acidic solutions. Therefore, the Pt-doped WS2 catalyst is an excellent candidate for highly efficient electrochemical hydrogen production.Graphical abstract