The dual built-in electric fields across CoS/MoS2 heterojunctions for energy-saving hydrogen production coupled with sulfion degradation

Kaiwen Gao; Min Zhou; Yifeng Liu; Shuocheng Wang; Rong Fu; Zhaoyang Wang; Jinghui Guo; Ziang Liu; Hairen Wang; Yan Zhao; Qijun Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.11.140

The dual built-in electric fields across CoS/MoS₂ heterojunctions for energy-saving hydrogen production coupled with sulfion degradation

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Mar:657:290-299. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.11.140. Epub 2023 Nov 27.

Authors

Kaiwen Gao¹, Min Zhou², Yifeng Liu¹, Shuocheng Wang³, Rong Fu³, Zhaoyang Wang⁴, Jinghui Guo¹, Ziang Liu², Hairen Wang¹, Yan Zhao⁵, Qijun Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, PR China.
² State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, International School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China.
³ School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hubei Engineering University, No. 272 Traffic Avenue, Xiaogan 432000, Hubei, PR China.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hubei Engineering University, No. 272 Traffic Avenue, Xiaogan 432000, Hubei, PR China; Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Green Materials for Light Industry, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, PR China. Electronic address: wzyzg@whut.edu.cn.
⁵ The Institute of Technological Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, Hubei, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, International School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, Hubei, PR China; College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, Sichuan, PR China. Electronic address: yan2000@whut.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, PR China. Electronic address: chemwqj@163.com.

PMID: 38043230
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.11.140

Abstract

Substituting the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction with the sulfur oxidation reaction can significantly reduce energy consumption and eliminate environmental pollutants during hydrogen generation. However, the progress of this technology has been hindered due to the lack of cost-effective, efficient, and durable electrocatalysts. In this study, we present the design and construction of a hierarchical metal sulfide catalyst with a gradient structure comprising nanoparticles, nanosheets, and microparticles. This was achieved through a structure-breaking sulfuration strategy, resulting in a "ball of yarn"-like core/shell CoS/MoS₂ microflower with CoS/MoS₂/CoS dual-heterojunctions. The difference in work functions between CoS and MoS₂ induces an electron polarization effect, creating dual built-in electric fields at the hierarchical interfaces. This effectively modulates the adsorption behavior of catalytic intermediates, thereby reducing the energy barrier for catalytic reactions. The optimized catalyst exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic performance for both the hydrogen evolution reaction and the sulfur oxidation reaction. Remarkably, in the assembled electrocatalytic coupling system, it only requires a cell voltage of 0.528 V at 10 mA cm^-2 and maintains long-term durability for over 168 h. This work presents new opportunities for low-cost hydrogen production and environmentally friendly sulfion recycling.

Keywords: Dual built-in electric fields; Electrocatalysis; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Schottky heterojunctions; Sulfur oxidation reaction.