Construction of Ru-doped MOF-derived CoS nanoparticles loaded on MXene for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

Designing and constructing efficient, low-cost, and stable electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water electrolysis is a key challenge for achieving sustainable hydrogen production. In this paper, a Ru-doped CoS-MXene (Ru-CoS-M) electrocatalytic composite material is synthesized by ion exchange and hydrothermal vulcanization. The ZIF-67-derived transition metal sulfide has a hollow structure, which can expose more active sites and enhance the overall catalytic performance of the material. Moreover, Ru-CoS-M inherits the conductivity of MXene, as well as the large specific surface area and high porosity characteristics of the original metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The Ru doping in Ru-CoS-M can modulate the chemical environment of the material, thus optimizing its catalytic performance. Hence, the overpotentials of Ru-CoS-M-15 in acidic and alkaline media are 128 and 161.2 mV, respectively, and the Tafel slopes are 81.53 and 93.68 mV·dec−1, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2, showing good HER performance. In addition, the i-t curve and CV cycle test proved that the catalyst has good durability and stability under acidic and alkaline conditions. This study provides ideas and methods for the development of efficient, low-cost, and stable catalysts in the field of electrocatalysis.