A Ta-TaS2 monolithic catalyst with robust and metallic interface for superior hydrogen evolution

TL;DR

This paper introduces a robust, monolithic TaS2 catalyst with a metallic interface that achieves high efficiency and durability for hydrogen evolution, offering a promising alternative to noble metal catalysts in water electrolysis.

Contribution

The study presents a novel monolithic TaS2 catalyst with a strong covalent interface, resulting in superior HER performance and stability at industrial current densities.

Findings

Achieves a low overpotential of 398 mV at 2000 mA/cm²

Maintains performance with negligible decay after 200 hours

Features a mechanically robust, electrically near-zero resistance interface

Abstract

The use of highly active and robust catalysts is crucial for producing green hydrogen by water electrolysis as we strive to achieve global carbon neutrality. Noble metals like platinum are currently used in industry for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but suffer from scarcity, high price and unsatisfied performance and stability at large current density, restricting their large scale implementations. Here we report the synthesis of a new type of monolithic catalyst (MC) consisting of a metal disulfide (e.g., TaS2) catalyst vertically bonded to a conductive substrate of the same metal by strong covalent bonds. These features give the MC a mechanically robust and electrically near zero resistance interface, leading to an outstanding HER performance including rapid charge transfer and excellent durability, together with a low overpotential of 398 mV to achieve a current density of 2,000 mA cm-2 as required by industry. The Ta TaS2 MC has a negligible performance decay after 200 h operation at large current densities. In light of its unique interface and the various choice of metal elements giving the same structure, such monolithic materials may have broad uses besides catalysis.