Green Synthesis of Flowerball-like MoS₂/VC Nanocomposite and Its Efficient Catalytic Performance for Oxygen Reduction Either in Alkaline or Acid Media

Abstract

Opening up electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential for practical application in fuel cells and metal-air batteries; however, how to make the catalysts with both good performance and low cost is difficult. Recently, research on the ORR of molybdenum disulfide-based catalysts in alkaline electrolytes has been on the rise. However, the development of MoS2 catalyst for acidic ORR is still in its infancy. Herein, without using reductant and morphology control reagent, we firstly obtained flowerball-like MoS2/Vulcan XC-72R (VC) nanocomposites via hydrothermal method. The designed composite exhibits a nearly 4e− ORR process with 0.78 and 0.92 V onset potentials in 0.1 M KOH and HClO4, respectively. Furthermore, the flowerball-like composite shows utmost electrochemical stability judging by 87 and 80% current retention for about 5.5 h either in alkaline or acid media, long term durability for continuous 10,000 cycles, and stronger resistance to methanol than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The abundant Mo edges as catalytic active centers of flowerball-like structure, high electron conductivity, and enhanced mass transport in either alkaline or acidic electrolyte are favorable for catalytic performance. The prepared catalyst provides great potential for the substitution of noble metal based catalysts in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

Keywords

• flowerball-like
• molybdenum disulfide
• electrocatalysis
• oxygen reduction reaction
• alkaline
• acid