Flower-like MoS2 with stepped edge structure efficient for electrocatalysis of hydrogen and oxygen evolution

A flower-like MoS₂ with a stepped edge structure was successfully and controllably fabricated as a bifunctional electrocatalyst efficient for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. The hierarchically porous polycrystalline MoS₂ was characterized by a combination analysis of XRD, Raman, XPS, N₂-BET, SEM and TEM. In the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), this as-obtained MoS₂/Ni catalyst presents significantly enhanced performance versus most previously studied catalysts. In the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the electrocatalyst MoS₂/Ni gives rise to a rather low overpotential of ～0.335 V at 20.0 mA cm^?2 and much enhanced durability over 6 h.