Boosted hydrogen evolution reaction based on synergistic effect of RuO2@MoS2 hybrid electrocatalyst

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) is a potential electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media but its catalytic efficiency is hindered by sluggish water dissociation kinetics. Herein, we demonstrate an efficient hybrid electrocatalyst constructed by ruthenium oxide (RuO2) nanoparticles uniformly loaded on MoS2 nanosheets with intimate connection formed between the two components. In 1.0 M KOH, the as-synthesized hybrid electrocatalyst delivers a remarkable performance towards the HER with a low overpotential of 114 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 as well as robust stability. The combined theoretical and experimental studies reveal the synergistic effect based on the intimate connection synergistic effect between RuO2 and MoS2 is responsible for the enhanced catalytic performance, wherein RuO2 promotes the water dissociation step while MoS2 facilitates the adsorption of hydrogen and generation of molecular hydrogen. This work proposes a strategy to improve the catalytic performance of MoS2-based electrocatalysts in alkaline media.