MoS2 Quantum Dots as Efficient Catalyst Materials for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Bishnupad Mohanty, Mahdi Ghorbani-Asl, Silvan Kretschmer, Arnab Ghosh, Puspendu Guha, Subhendu K. Panda, Bijayalaxmi Jena, Arkady V. Krasheninnikov, Bikash Kumar Jena

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

198 Scopus citations

Abstract

The development of an active, earth-abundant, and inexpensive catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is highly desirable but remains a great challenge. Here, by combining experiments and first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that MoS2 quantum dots (MSQDs) are efficient materials for the OER. We use a simple route for the synthesis of MSQDs from a single precursor in aqueous medium, avoiding the formation of unwanted carbon quantum dots (CQDs). The as-synthesized MSQDs exhibit higher OER activity with a lower Tafel slope in comparison to that for the state of the art catalyst IrO2/C. The potential cycling of the MSQDs activates the surface and improves the OER catalytic properties. Density functional theory calculations reveal that MSQD vertices are reactive and the vacancies at the edges also promote the reaction, which indicates that the small flakes with defects at the edges are efficient for the OER. The presence of CQDs affects the adsorption of reaction intermediates and dramatically suppresses the OER performance of the MSQDs. Our theoretical and experimental findings provide important insights into the synthesis process of MSQDs and their catalytic properties and suggest promising routes to tailoring the performance of the catalysts for OER applications.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1683-1689
Number of pages7
JournalACS Catalysis
Volume8
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Mar 2018
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Chemical Society.

Keywords

  • MoS
  • defects
  • electrocatalysis
  • first-principles calculations
  • oxygen evolution reaction
  • quantum dots

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