posted on 2022-02-03, 13:35authored bySujittra Poorahong, Chutintorn Somnin, Issa Malam Mahamadou, Clara Dubois, Siham Chergui, Zhiyuan Peng, Yilu Su, Thai Xuan Tran, Chongdee Thammakhet-Buranachai, Ahmed Mazzah, Mohamed Siaj
Self-standing
binder-free materials have been intensively used
as electrocatalytic electrodes for hydrogen production. Herein, the
binder-free molybdenum selenide nanosheets on three-dimensional macroporous
reduced graphene oxide/graphite-like membrane (MoSe2/rGO-PGM)
were proposed. A unique interconnected macroporous conducting carbon
membrane was prepared by cryogelation and subsequent carbonization
of the gelatin and graphene oxide cryogel. The conducting membrane
is used as a substrate to synthesize MoSe2 by the solvothermal
method in which MoSe2-layered nanosheets are vertically
grown on the surface. The MoSe2/rGO-PGM was applied as
an electrocatalyst without binder “binder-free” for
the water-splitting “hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)”.
The excellent electrochemical hydrogen generation exhibited a low
onset potential of −0.15 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode
and a Tafel slope of 51 mV/decade. In addition, remarkable stability
with no current decay for over 20,000 s of testing was observed. The
perpendicular oriented nanostructure of the electrocatalyst on a highly
carbon-based macroporous template favored more exposed active sites
accompanied by an easily diffused electrolyte. The fabrication concept
was successfully extended to synthesize other metal dichalcogenides
which can be utilized as alternative nanomaterials for HER catalysts.