Growth and Tunable Surface Wettability of Vertical MoS2 Layers for Improved Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Ganesh R. Bhimanapati, Trevor Hankins, Yu Lei, Rafael A. Vilá, Ian Fuller, Mauricio Terrones, Joshua A. Robinson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

97 Scopus citations

Abstract

Layered materials, especially the transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), are of interest for a broad range of applications. Among the class of TMDs, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is perhaps the most studied because of its natural abundance and use in optoelectronics, energy storage and energy conversion applications. Understanding the fundamental structure-property relations is key for tailoring the enhancement in the above-mentioned applications. Here, we report a controlled powder vaporization synthesis of MoS2 flower-like structures consisting of vertically grown layers of MoS2 exhibiting exposed edges. This growth is readily achievable on multiple substrates, such as graphite, silicon, and silicon dioxide. The resulting MoS2 flowers are highly crystalline and stoichiometric. Further observations using contact angle indicate that MoS2 flowers exhibit the highest reported contact angle of ∼160 ± 10°, making the material super hydrophobic. This surface wettability was further tuned by changing the edge chemistry of the MoS2 flowers using an ozone etching treatment. Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) measurements indicate that the surface treated with UV-ozone showed a reduction in the Tafel slope from 185 to 54 mV/dec, suggesting an increase in the amount of reactive surface to generate hydrogen.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)22190-22195
Number of pages6
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume8
Issue number34
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 31 2016

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Materials Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Growth and Tunable Surface Wettability of Vertical MoS2 Layers for Improved Hydrogen Evolution Reactions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this