LAUSR

Among sulfide-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) remains at the forefront. However, the HER performance is undermined by high electrical resistance and, due to inherent stacking of MoS2 layers, low density of accessible functional sites. Herein, an effective synergy between 2D MoS2 ultrathin nanosheets and iron monophosphide (FeP) nanoparticles is demonstrated, which produces electrocatalyst (FeP/MoS2) endowed with substantially higher electrical conductivity as well as number of active sites. The as-prepared FeP/MoS2 exhibits remarkable performance for HER; requires significantly low overpotential (110 mV) as compared to MoS2 (265 mV) and FeP (210 mV) to generate benchmark 10 mA cm–2. Furthermore, the performance of as–prepared electrode is notably higher than that of FeP dispersed on carbon; FeP/C requires 138 mV to produce 10 mA cm–2. Crucial properties of the electrodes—FeP, MoS2, FeP/MoS2, and FeP/carbon—such as surface areas, intrinsic elect...