Double-transition-metal MXene–CoS2 hybrid electrocatalysts : a new avenue for alkaline hydrogen evolution

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Hanan, Abdul and Raja Sulaiman, Raja Rafidah and Wong, Wai Yin and Blilita, Sofiane and Numan, Arshid and Walvekar, Rashmi and Khalid, Mohammad (2026) Double-transition-metal MXene–CoS2 hybrid electrocatalysts : a new avenue for alkaline hydrogen evolution. SusMat, 6 (2). e70069. ISSN 2692-4552 (https://doi.org/10.1002/sus2.70069)

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Abstract

The global demand for hydrogen (H2) production via electrolysis is rapidly increasing, necessitating the development of low-cost and high-performance electrocatalysts. Herein, we report the synthesis of a double-transition-metal (DTM) MXene, molybdenum titanium carbide (Mo2Ti2C3Tx), using a non-hydrofluoric (HF) acid-based etchant, followed by the incorporation of cobalt sulfide (CoS2) nanoparticles through a hydrothermal process. The optimized Mo2Ti2C3Tx@CoS2 composite demonstrated excellent electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media, achieving a low overpotential of 281 mV at 10 mA/cm2, a Tafel slope of 79 mV/dec, and a high electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of 375 cm2. Theoretical calculations further validated the efficiency of the material, and its application in a real-time anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolyzer confirmed its stability and high H2 production rate. These findings highlight Mo2Ti2C3Tx@CoS2 as a promising noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for sustainable H2 production and electrochemical energy conversion.

ORCID iDs

Hanan, Abdul, Raja Sulaiman, Raja Rafidah, Wong, Wai Yin, Blilita, Sofiane, Numan, Arshid, Walvekar, Rashmi ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8283-1278 and Khalid, Mohammad;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)