Hierarchical molybdenum disulfide on carbon nanotube–reduced graphene oxide composite paper as efficient catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract Herein, we report a composite structure composed of vertically grown molybdenum disulfide (MoSx) nanosheets supported by conductive carbon nanotube–reduced graphene oxide (CNT–rGO) on Vietnamese traditional paper (MoSx/CNT–rGO/VTP) for a high-performance electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In the fabrication, CNT–rGO is first prepared on VTP by roll coating, following which the vertically aligned MoS2 nanosheets are synthesized on the surface of CNT–rGO/VTP through a simple hydrothermal reaction. The catalyst exhibits excellent HER electrocatalytic activity including a low onset potential of 190 mV, Tafel slope of 59 mV dec−1, and excellent stability in an acidic electrolyte solution. The excellent catalytic performance can be attributed to the abundant active edges provided by the vertically aligned MoSx nanosheets, as well as the effective electron transport provided by the CNT–rGO conductive substrate. Therefore, our study demonstrates an inexpensive and simple method to facilitate the large-scale application of non-noble catalysts. In addition, the method can be extended to the development of other transition metal dichalcogenide composite structures for electrochemical applications.