Gold cluster incorporated Rhenium disulfide: An efficient catalyst towards electrochemical and photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction

Rhenium disulfide (ReS2) is an emerging member of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) family. It attracts recent research interest due to its tunable bandgap, weak interlayer coupling, and layer-independent optoelectronic properties. This work demonstrates a gold cluster incorporated ReS2 as a robust hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst. Au cluster is synthesized via the solid-state grinding method and mixed with ReS2 by mechanical mixing. The excellent catalytic activity of the ReS2-Au cluster is observed both in photoelectrochemical and electrochemical studies. Synergistic interaction between the Au cluster and ReS2 reinforces light absorption of the ReS2-Au cluster, especially within the visible region, and boosts the photoelectrochemical properties of the composite. The photoelectrochemical mechanism of the ReS2-Au cluster is investigated in detail using Mott-Schottky analysis. This work is anticipated to provide new insight into the photoelectrochemical properties of ReS2 and metal-cluster-sensitized TMD nanocomposites.