Molybdenum carbide MXene embedded with nickel sulfide clusters as an efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Molybdenum-based MXene materials (Mo 2 CT x ) have recently demonstrated great potential in electrocatalytic hydrogen production . Herein, we fabricated a novel NiS/Mo 2 CT x hybrid via chemical etching in an NH 4 F/HCl solution followed by solvothermal reactions, where nickel sulfide (NiS) clusters were embedded between the interlayers of Mo 2 CT x . The intrinsic structure and electrochemical properties were experimentally investigated to explore the potential of an electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution . As expected, the heterostructure by embedding NiS into the Mo 2 CT x MXene interlayers not only brings about large electrochemical surface areas with abundant active site exposure but also enhances the intrinsic kinetics to facilitate the electrolysis process. Electrochemical tests revealed that the NiS/Mo 2 CT x catalyst exhibited the HER performance with a small overpotential of 157 mV to drive the current density of 10 mA cm −2 and long-term stable durability, which are superior to that of pristine Mo 2 CT x MXene and nickel sulfides. This study can provide a synthetic strategy for designing and developing Mo 2 CT x MXene-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen production .