High hydrogen production rate on RuS 2 @MoS 2 hybrid nanocatalyst by PEM electrolysis

A new nanocatalyst, which combines the electrocatalytic activity of MoS 2 nanosheets and RuS 2 nanoparticles (NPs), was prepared through a safe and scalable, one-step “bottom-up” approach. It delivers high current density, with a Tafel slope of 36 mV/dec and a very small overpotential. The high exposure of MoS 2 edges on the RuS 2 NPs, the stronger d character of RuS 2 and the electrical coupling of these two nanomaterials, grown together, were responsible for the high hydrogen production rates of 10.2 l/h (PEM cell 5cm × 5 cm, current density about 1.1 A/cm 2 , power consumption 41.8 W, corresponding to 3.8 KWh/Nm 3 of energy consumption, efficiency 93%).