Publication

Abstract : The mixed metal dichalcogenides combination of WS2–MoS2 was coated onto Cu substrate by electroless NiMoP plating technique and the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance was investigated. The enhanced structural, morphological parameters and boosted electrocatalytic performance of the various metal-metal molar ratio of WS2–MoS2 onto NiMoP plate were identified under variable operating conditions and it was successfully evaluated by various characterization techniques. The well-defined crystalline nature, phase, particle size, structure, elemental analysis and surface morphology of prepared coatings were analyzed by FESEM, XRD, AFM and EDS mapping. The electrochemical analysis was performed using open circuit potential (OCP) analysis, chronoamperometry (CA), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Tafel curves, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and polarization studies to find the activity of prepared electrocatalyst towards electrochemical hydrogen evolution reactions. The performance of bare NiMoP and WS2–MoS2/NiMoP plates were compared and found that the HER activity of NiMoP can be reinforced by composite incorporation through the synergic effect arises with in the catalytic system, which improves surface roughness and enhances the magnitude of electrocatalyst toward HER. The achievement of enhanced catalytic performance of coatings was authenticate by the kinetic parameters such as decreases in Tafel slope (98 mV dec−1), enhanced exchange current densities (9.32 × 10−4 A cm−2), and a lower overpotential. The consistent performance and durability of the catalyst were also investigated. The enhanced electrocatalytic activity of WS2–MoS2/NiMoP coatings increased with respect to the surface-active sites associated with combination of mixed dichalcogenides and the synergic effect arises in between different components present in the coating system. This work envisages the progressive strategies for the economical exploration of a novel WS2–MoS2/NiMoP water splitting catalyst used for large scale H2 generation. The prepared WS2–MoS2/NiMoP embedded Cu substrate possess high catalytic activity due to its least overpotential of 101 mV at a benchmark current density of 10 mA cm−2, which demonstrated the sustainable, efficient and promising electrocatalytic property of prepared catalyst towards HER under alkaline conditions.