Directly growth of highly uniform MnS–MoS2 on carbon cloth for advanced H2 evolution electrocatalyst in different pH electrolytes

The activation energy barrier of the H–O bond of water molecules is high, and thus the rate of H2 evolution reaction (HER) via water splitting is very slow. Hence, chemists are committed to finding high-performance, cheap and stable catalysts for realizing efficient H2 production. The molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)-based bimetallic sulfide electrocatalysts are favored by researchers because of their particular structures and properties. Herein, the Waugh type polyoxometalate (POM) is used as raw materials. A series of MnS–MoS2 electrocatalysts are in-situ coupled on carbon cloth (CC) substrate by a hydrothermal sulfidation method. The catalyst MnS-MoS2-CC possesses high catalytic activity for HER in a alkaline electrolyte, showing a low overpotential of 54 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which is very close to 35 mV of the 20% Pt/C electrode. Meanwhile, under a current density of over 50 mA cm−2, the overpotential of MnS-MoS2-CC is less than that of the 20% Pt/C electrode. Moreover, the electrocatalysts show overpotentials of 141 mV and 201 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 1.0 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS), respectively. Besides the high catalytic activity, the MnS-MoS2-CC electrode shows long-term durability in a wide pH range, which is confirmed by several methods including the tests of linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) curve, current density vs. time (I-t) curve, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This work provides a feasible route for the preparation of HER electrocatalysts applied in broad pH conditions, especially for alkaline solutions.