Self-supporting MoSe2/CoSe2@CFP electrocatalyst electrode for high-efficiency HER under alkaline solution

Adopting a facile two-step hydrothermal method to fabricate an efficient hierarchical transition metal selenide MoSe2/CoSe2 nano-flakes (NFs) anchored on carbon fiber paper (CFP) as a high-efficiency electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The morphology shows that the surface of CFP is uniformly covered by the abundant nanosheets. Benefitting from the hydrophilic, the nano-catalysts on the MoSe2/CoSe2@CFP can fully contact with water molecules and accelerate the electron transfer, therefore promoting the water splitting. The electrochemical measurement suggests that on condition that current density of 10 ​mA ​cm−2, this nanometer electrocatalytic material has only an overpotential of 137 ​mV (vs. the RHE), which is lower as compared to CoSe2 (398 ​mV), MoSe2 (461 ​mV) and CFP (595 ​mV). The Tafel slope of the nanocomposite is 55.9 ​mV dec−1, which is lower than CoSe2 (138.1 ​mV dec−1) and MoSe2 (175.9 ​mV dec−1). Furthermore, the self-supporting nanocomposite exhibits outstanding stability in alkaline solution.