Synergistic Germanium-Decorated h-BN/MoS₂ Heterostructure Nanosheets: An Advanced Electrocatalyst for Energy Storage Applications

Abstract

Increasing concerns about the vulnerability of the world’s energy supply and the necessity to implement sustainable technologies have prompted researchers to develop high-performance electrocatalysts that are affordable and efficient for converting and storing renewable energy. This article reports a facile approach to fabricating two-dimensional (2D) Ge-decorated h-BN/MoS2 heterostructure nanosheets by self-assembly for multiple electrochemical applications such as supercapacitor and hydrogen evolution reactions. The organization of the physical and chemical links between the germanium modulations on the heterostructure of boron nitride/molybdenum sulphide (Ge/h-BN/MoS2) were facilitated to generate more active sites. Furthermore, the asymmetric supercapacitor of Ge-decorated h-BN/MoS2 amplified the capacitance to 558.53 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 current density and 159.19 F g−1 at 10 A g−1, in addition to a retention rate of 85.69% after 2000 cycles. Moreover, the Ge-decorated h-BN/MoS2 catalyst realized a low over-potential value, with an RHE of 0.57 (HER) at 5 mA/cm2, a Tafel value of ∼204 mV/dec, and long-term electrolysis stability of 10 h. This work may open the door for further investigations on metal-decorated heterostructures, which have a significant potential for both supercapacitor and water-splitting applications.

Keywords

• electrocatalysis
• hydrogen evolution reaction
• Ge/h-BN/MoS₂
• energy storage application
• layered heterostructure