Graphene quantum dot enabled interlayer spacing and electronic structure regulation of single-atom doped MoS₂ for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution

• Main Authors: Gong, Jun, Zhang, Zheye, Xi, Shibo, Wang, Wenjun, Lu, Jianmei, Chen, Peng
• Other Authors: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Engineering::Chemical engineering; Interlayer Engineering; Graphene Quantum Dots
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/162773
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Interlayer engineering of two-dimensional (2D) materials is believed to be a key to enhance their performance for catalysis and other applications. Herein, molybdenum disulfide intercalated with heteroatom-doped graphene quantum dots and individually dispersed Co atoms (GQD/Co-MoS2) is readily synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal reaction. With better long-term stability, GQD/Co-MoS2 shows comparable catalytic performance as commercial Pt/C catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline medium at low current densities (overpotential of 53 vs 44 mV at 10 mA cm−2) and outperforms Pt/C at high current densities (106 vs 172 mV at 100 mA cm−2). Based on both experimental and theoretical investigations, the outstanding performance is mainly attributed to the enlarged interlayer spacing and electronic coupling at the 0D/2D van der Waals heterojunctions between GQDs and Co-doped MoS2. In principle, a variety of GQD intercalated 2D materials with atomic doping of one or more metallic elements can be similarly synthesized for diverse applications.