The role of metal dopants in WS2 nanoflowers in enhancing the hydrogen evolution reaction

We demonstrate a facile and efficient method for the synthesis of a metal-doped WS2 nanoflower (NF) catalyst. We also report its application for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The flower-like WS2 particles were produced by a hydrothermal reaction, and, subsequently, the WS2 was doped with metal chlorides such as AuCl3, AgCl, PtCl2, and PdCl2, followed by reduction with sodium borohydride to form metal-doped WS2 NFs. The Pd-doped WS2 NF catalyst showed a high HER performance, having a Tafel slope of 54 mV/dec and an overpotential of -175 mV at -10 mA cm(-2). The improvement is attributed to the energy band alignment near the H+/H-2 reduction potential and the large surface area of the WS2 NFs.