Advances in MoS2 nanostructures and their composites: Synthesis characterization and hydrogen fuel generation: hydrogen fuel generation

Abstract

Global Hydrogen gas production market size is valued around 6 % (USD 119 billion) in 2020 and it is used as alternative fuel source to replace contemporary fuels like crude oil which are depleting at a faster rate and also direct threat to environmental health. Traditionally, platinum is used as a catalyst to accelerate the hydrogen evolution process. Although it shows excellent results, the high cost of platinum limits the use at laboratory level making it impractical in commercial applications. Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is a transition metal dichalcogenide which acts as catalyst in electro-chemical water splitting to produce hydrogen gas. This review aims to provide the various methods adopted for the synthesis of nanoscale MoS2 and its composites. Various methods such as hydrothermal, solvothermal, sol-gel, microwave, and their reaction conditions, reactant precursors adopted by different research groups were complied. The review was also focused on reveling the structural features of nanoscale MoS2 and its composites, from the results of XRD, SEM, EDS, PL Spectroscopy and Raman reported by various research works. The H2 generation efficiency of MoS2 and its composites were studied in an electro-chemical workstation to evaluate the catalyst performance. The photo/electrochemical studies on H2 generation by MoS2 carried out by various groups were studied and the results were discussed. The results were correlated in order to propose the suitable functionality, dopant, for better H2 generation performance of MoS2. Finally the review provides the summary of the various MoS2 nanocomposites, current challenges and future scope of H2 generation applications.