Institute of Fundamental Technological Research

Molybdenum sulfide–oxide (MoS2, MS) emerges as the prime electrocatalyst candidate demonstrating hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity comparable to platinum (Pt). This study presents a facile electrochemical approach for fabricating a hybrid copper (Cu)/MoS2 (CMS) nanos- tructure thin-film electrocatalyst directly onto nickel foam (NF) without a binder or template. The synthesized CMS nanostructures were characterized utilizing energy-ispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrochemical methods. The XRD result revealed that the Cu metal coating on MS results in the creation of an extremely crys-talline CMS nanostructure with a well-defined interface. The hybrid nanostructures demonstrated
higher hydrogen production, attributed to the synergistic interplay of morphology and electron dis-tribution at the interface. The nanostructures displayed a significantly low overpotential of −149 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 117 mV dec−1, indicating enhanced catalytic activity compared to pristine MoS2.This research underscores the significant enhancement of the HER performance and
conductivity achieved by CMS, showcasing its potential applications in renewable energy.

electrodeposition, hydrogen evolution reactions, catalytic activity, Cu/MoS2 nanostructures