Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Activity through Bimetallic Phosphide Integration in ReS2/Re2O7 Heterostructure

• Published in: ChemistrySelect (Weinheim) 2024-10, Vol.9 (39), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Vijayan, Aruna, Thomas, Teena, Sandhyarani, N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electrocatalyst; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Nickel copper phosphides; Photoelectrocatalyst; Rhenium disulfide; Transition metal dichalcogenides; Transition metal phosphides
• ISSN: 2365-6549; 2365-6549
• DOI: 10.1002/slct.202404084

Developing a nonprecious and sustainable electrocatalyst in clean energy generation is quite noteworthy. Transition metal chalcogenides, oxides, and phosphides have emerged as promising candidates to substitute Pt‐based catalysts. In this study, we explore the catalytic potential of ReS2, a promising member of the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD) family, for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER). The formation of rhenium oxide during the synthesis of ReS2 and further incorporation of a bimetallic phosphide NiCuP in a sequential hydrothermal synthesis reveals an excellent HER activity, as demonstrated by photoelectrochemical and electrochemical studies. Notably, the catalyst exhibits a significantly lower overpotential of −0.10 V (corresponding to −10 mA/cm2) and achieves a high current density of approx. −271 mA/cm2 at −0.79 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under light irradiation. The catalyst demonstrates high stability. These findings underscore the potential of NiCuP‐integrated ReS2/Re2O7 as a highly efficient and sustainable catalyst for HER. This work demonstrates the enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction resulting from the incorporation of nickel copper phosphide into ReS2/Re2O7. A favorable alignment of the band edge positions helps in better charge transfer and photoelectrocatalytic HER.