Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Oxygen reduction reaction kinetics of 2H-MoS2 and mixed-phase 1T/2H-MoS2 as a metal-free cathodic catalyst for PEM fuel cells

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Applied Electrochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Search for a Platinum metal-free catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) is a concern to scientists as the Pt-catalyzed electrode comprises about 45% of the entire fuel cell stack cost. Due to layered structure, Two-dimensional (2D) MoS2 nanostructured materials have recently drawn attention as effective catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The 1T-phase of MoS2 (1T-MoS2) has higher electronic conductivity than the 2H-phase (2H-MoS2); high surface area 1T-MoS2 can have high electrocatalytic activity towards PEFFCs. Here, we report hydrothermally synthesized 2H-MoS2 and solvothermally synthesized mixed 1T/2H-MoS2 phases as a catalyst for ORR in PEM Fuel Cells. Owing to the high BET-specific surface area, hybrid 1T/2H-MoS2 showed better ORR activity than 2H-MoS2. The limiting current density of the 1T/2H-MoS2 hybrid structure is ‒7.1 mA cm−2 compared to Pt/C (‒8.2 mA cm−2) at 1600 rpm. The Tafel slope values of 2H-MoS2, 1T/2H-MoS2, and Pt/C are 92.7 mV dec−1, 57.5 mV dec−1, and 39.3 mV dec−1, respectively. The electron transferred during ORR are 3.8 and 1.8, respectively, for 1T/2H-MoS2 and 2H-MoS2 (in 0.1 M KOH) ; suggesting less formation of undesirable peroxide formation than 2H-MoS2. The 1T/2H-MoS2 displays better electrochemical durability compared to 2H-MoS2 (after 2000 CV cycles).

Graphical abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Holton OT, Stevenson JW (2013) The role of platinum in proton exchange membrane fuel cells evaluation of platinum’s unique properties for use in both the anode and cathode of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Platinum Met Rev 57:259–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Martinez U, Komini Babu S, Holby EF et al (2019) Progress in the Development of Fe-Based PGM-Free Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen reduction reaction. Adv Mater 31:1–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201806545

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Raj CR, Samanta A, Noh SH et al (2016) Emerging new generation electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. J Mater Chem A 4:11156–11178. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ta03300h

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Samad S, Loh KS, Yin Wong W, Lee TK, Sunarso J STC and. D (2018) Carbon and non-carbon support materials for platinum-based catalysts in fuel cells. Int J Hydrogen Energy 43:7823–7854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.02.154

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Choi W, Choudhary N, Han GH et al (2017) Recent development of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides and their applications. Mater Today 20:116–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2016.10.002

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Alinejadian N, Kollo L, Odnevall I (2022) Progress in additive manufacturing of MoS2-based structures for energy storage applications – A review. Mater Sci Semicond Process 139:106331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2021.106331

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Huang Y, Guo J, Kang Y et al (2015) Two dimensional atomically thin MoS2 nanosheets and their sensing applications. Nanoscale 7:19358–19376. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5nr06144j

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Shrivastav M, Kushwaha HS, Dhiman R (2022) 2H-MoS2 as an electrode material for oxygen reduction reaction and supercapacitor applications. Mater Today. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.10.202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Zhou X, Xu B, Lin Z et al (2014) Hydrothermal synthesis of flower-like MoS2nanospheres for electrochemical supercapacitors. J Nanosci Nanotechnol 14:7250–7254. https://doi.org/10.1166/jnn.2014.8929

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Krishnan U, Kaur M, Singh K et al (2019) A synoptic review of MoS 2: synthesis to applications. Superlattices Microstruct 128:274–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spmi.2019.02.005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gupta D, Chauhan V, Kumar R (2020) A comprehensive review on synthesis and applications of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) material: past and recent developments. Inorg Chem Commun 121:108200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inoche.2020.108200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Wang H, Li C, Fang P et al (2018) Synthesis, properties, and optoelectronic applications of two-dimensional MoS2 and MoS2-based heterostructures. Chem Soc Rev 47:6101–6127. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8cs00314a

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Habibi Jetani G, Rahmani MB (2022) Exploring the effect of hydrothermal precursor pH on the photosensitivity of 1T/2H–MoS2 nanosheets. Opt Mater (Amst) 124:111974. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2022.111974

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Chen Z (2016) Small dopants make big differences: enhanced Electrocatalytic performance of MoS2 monolayer for Oxygen Reduction reaction (ORR) by N – and P – doping. Electrochim Acta. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2016.12.144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Suresh C, Mutyala S, Mathiyarasu J (2016) Support interactive synthesis of nanostructured MoS 2 electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. Mater Lett 164:417–420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2015.11.052

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hu Y, Chua DHC (2016) Synthesizing 2D MoS2 nanofins on carbon nanospheres as catalyst support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. Sci Rep 6:1–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep28088

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Jin Q, Liu N, Chen B, Mei D (2018) Mechanisms of semiconducting 2H to metallic 1T phase transition in two-dimensional MoS 2 nanosheets. J Phys Chem C 122:28215–28224. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b10256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Gan X, Lee LYS, Wong KY et al (2018) 2H/1T phase transition of Multilayer MoS2 by Electrochemical Incorporation of S Vacancies. ACS Appl Energy Mater 1:4754–4765. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.8b00875

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Taufik A, Asakura Y, Kato H et al (2020) 1T/2H-MoS2 engineered by in-situ ethylene glycol intercalation for improved toluene sensing response at room temperature. Adv Powder Technol 31:1868–1878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apt.2020.02.022

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Thi Xuyen N, Ting JM (2017) Hybridized 1T/2H MoS2 having controlled 1T concentrations and its use in Supercapacitors. Chem - A Eur J 23:17348–17355. https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201703690

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wang D, Zhang X, Bao S et al (2017) Phase engineering of a multiphasic 1T/2H MoS2 catalyst for highly efficient hydrogen evolution. J Mater Chem A 5:2681–2688. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6ta09409k

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Dhiman R, Stamatin SN, Andersen SM et al (2013) Oxygen reduction and methanol oxidation behaviour of SiC based Pt nanocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. J Mater Chem A 1:15509–15516. https://doi.org/10.1039/c3ta12744c

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Online VA, Li H, Xie F et al (2016) Preparation and adsorption capacity of porous MoS2 nanosheets. RSC Adv 6:105222–105230. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA22414H

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Li Y, Chang K, Sun E, Shangguan H, Tang B, Li JS and ZC (2020) Selective Preparation of 1T- and 2H-Phase MoS2 nanosheets with abundant monolayer structure and their applications in Energy Storage devices. ACS Appl Energy Mater 3:998–1009. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.9b02043

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Wen YN, Xia MG, Zhang SL (2018) Structural and magnetic properties of MoS2 monolayer zigzag nanoribbon doped by Ti, V, Cr, and Mn. Phys Lett  A 382:2354–2360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2018.05.050

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Jagminas A, Niaura G, Žalneravičius R et al (2016) Laser light induced transformation of molybdenum disulphide-based nanoplatelet arrays. Sci Rep 6:2–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep37514

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Yougui Liao (2016) Energy peak overlapping in EDS Spectrum. In: Practical Electron Microscopy and Database

  28. Wu M, Zhan J, Wu K et al (2017) Metallic 1T MoS2 nanosheet arrays vertically grown on activated carbon fiber cloth for enhanced Li-ion storage performance. J Mater Chem A. https://doi.org/10.1039/C7TA03497K

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Huang S, You Z, Jiang Y et al (2020) Fabrication of ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets and application on adsorption of organic pollutants and heavy metals. Processes 8:1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/PR8050504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Dhiman R (2021) Investigation of cathode electrolyte interphase layer in V2O5 Li-ion battery cathodes: time and potential effects. J Electrochem Soc. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/abf17b

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Xiao H, Li B, Zhao M (2021) Electrosynthesized CuO x/graphene by a four-electrode electrolysis system for the oxygen reduction reaction to hydrogen peroxide. Chem Commun 57:4118–4121. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cc00386k

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Zhang S, Xie Y, Yang M et al (2021) A defect-rich ultrathin MoS2/rGO nanosheet electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. RSC Adv 11:24508–24514. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ra03552e

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Prabhakar Vattikuti SV, Nagajyothi PC, Devarayapalli KC et al (2020) Hybrid Ag/MoS2 nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen reduction. Appl Surf Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.146751

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Chen S, Luo T, Li X et al (2022) Identification of the highly active Co–N4 coordination motif for selective oxygen reduction. J Am Chem Soc. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c01194

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Dianhydride P, Applications LB (2018) Glycination: a simple strategy to enhance the cycling performance of perylene dianhydride for secondary Li–Ion battery applications. ChemistrySelect  https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201801588

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The SERB, New Delhi is acknowledged by the authors for funding the lab infrastructure under the SRG project (Ref: SRG/2019/001090).The authors thank Prof. Kanupriya Sachdev, Dr. Debasish Sarkar and Dr. Ritu Bala for their meaningful advice. The characterizations were done by Material Research Centre (MRC), MNIT Jaipur. The authors also acknowledge MRC.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302017, India

    Monika Shrivastav, Vivek Kumar & Rajnish Dhiman

  2. Electrical Appliances Technology Division, Central Power Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 56080, India

    Kuldeep Rana

Authors
  1. Monika Shrivastav
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Vivek Kumar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kuldeep Rana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rajnish Dhiman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization, Methodology, experimental, and writing the original draft was done by MS. Conceptualization, validation, review, supervision, and editing of the final manuscript were done by RD. VK and KR reviewed and edited the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rajnish Dhiman.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest reported by the authors that could be perceived as having influenced the work presented in this publication, either through financial means or in any other way.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 3120.5 kb)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shrivastav, M., Kumar, V., Rana, K. et al. Oxygen reduction reaction kinetics of 2H-MoS2 and mixed-phase 1T/2H-MoS2 as a metal-free cathodic catalyst for PEM fuel cells. J Appl Electrochem (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-023-02053-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-023-02053-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation