Abstract
Different kinds of transition metal disulfides (TMDCs) were prepared via solvothermal method. The morphologic structure of TMDCs were controlled by tuning the injecting rates of the reaction precursor. The crystallization of the products could be improved by annealing treatment at high-temperature, and thus improving the electrocatalytic activity of TMDC catalyst. The results of electmcatalytic hydrogen evolution in acidic electrolyte show that the metallic "flower-like" niobium disulfide (NbS2) exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability. It possess a small overpotential of only 146 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA/cm(2). The current density almost shows no decays after 24 h continuous working at 10 mA/cm(2). The excellent performance of NbS2 catalyst is attributed to the "flower-like" structure that can expose abundant active sites, and to the improvement of electrical conductivity and material quality after annealing treatment.