Metal-Organic Framework Derived Cuco2o4 as a Promising Co-Catalyst for Improving Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Activity of Mos2 Nanoflowers

The great promise of electrochemical water splitting for green and sustainable hydrogen fuel production has motivated researchers to strive for more efficient and low-cost catalysts based on non-precious metals . In this study, MoS 2 nanoflowers decorated with CuCo 2 O 4 were successfully synthesized, and their catalytic activities toward the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1.0 M KOH solution were investigated. The composition, structure, and morphology of the as-prepared materials were investigated by various techniques such as FT-IR, XRD, BET, SEM, and TEM. To maximize the catalytic activity, the composition of the nanocomposites was systematically varied. It was observed that the nanocomposite with the 90:10 mass ratio of CuCo 2 O 4 to MoS 2 exhibited the highest HER performance, with a measured overpotential of 237 mV (at the current density of 20 mA cm −2 ) and a Tafel slope of 134 mV dec −1 . In addition, this nanocomposite showed excellent long-term stability