Amorphous versus crystalline CoSx anchored on CNTs as heterostructured electrocatalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction

In this work, we have successfully constructed carbon nanotube (CNT)-a-CoS x amorphous heterostructured catalysts using a two-step method. The abundant active sites, superior electron transport properties, and large electrochemically active specific surface area enable amorphous CNT-a-CoS x to exhibit higher hydrogen evolution reaction performance than crystalline CNT-c-CoS x in acidic conditions. To deliver a cathodic current density of 10 mA cm −2 , the required overpotential is only 76 mV. No significant performance degradation is observed after 60,000 s of electrochemical durability test. This facile strategy provides technical support for the design and construction of amorphous heterostructured electrocatalysts with high activity and stability for the generation of green hydrogen.