In-Situ Growth of Few-Layered MoS2 Nanosheets on Highly Porous Carbon Aerogel as Advanced Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Molybdenum disulfide-based hybrids, acting as cost-effective and acid-stable electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), have been developed fast for providing sustainable hydrogen energy in recent years. Herein, few-layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets/carbon aerogel (CA) hybrids were successfully obtained through the combination of sol–gel process, aging, freeze-drying, high temperature carbonization, and solvothermal reaction. CA with highly continuous porosity and high specific surface area is used as a matrix material for construction of hierarchical MoS2/CA hybrids where few-layered MoS2 nanosheets are uniformly covered on a CA surface. In this heterostructured system, CAs not only provide three-dimensional (3D) conductive pathway for fast transportation of electrons and ions, but also offer highly active regions for the growth of MoS2, greatly preventing the aggregation of MoS2 nanosheets. Due to the rationally designed hybrids with 3D porous nanostructures, the as-prepared MoS2/CA hybrids with optimized MoS2 content exhibit enhanced catalytic performance for electrocatalytic HER with a low onset potential of −0.14 V, large current density, and excellent stability.