Modulating MoS2 nanostructure by vanadium incorporation for high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction

In this work, we reported a facile approach to fabricate molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) electrocatalyst with the introduction of vanadium(V) for improved catalytic performance. The morphology of prepared samples can be characterizated by SEM observation. The XRD and XPS spectra further reveal that the proper amount of vanadium introduction can effectively prompt the increase of crystallinity and formation of edge-terminated structure in MoS2 nanostructure. The experimental results display that the morphology of MoS2 can be modulated by various amounts of V incorporation. The conductivity of prepared samples is increased by incorporating a certain amount of graphene. MoS2 nanostructure with 20% V incorporation shows excellent catalytic performance, and the corresponding mechanism is also discussed. The electrochemical performance of 20%V-MoS2 can be further improved by the introduction of appropriate graphene. Compared with pure MoS2 samples, 20%V-MoS2/Graphene7.5 shows a small resistance and excellent cycling stability in the acidic electrolyte, as well as the overpotential at 10 mA decreases from 213 mV to 168 mV.