Controllable fabrication of high-performance and inexpensive
heterogeneous
catalysts is crucial for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction
(HER) and renewable energy. Wood-derived electrodes provide new opportunities.
Herein, N-doped carbon nanotubes (CNTs) encapsulating metal particles
are in situ generated on graphitized wood (GW)-derived
porous carbon frameworks and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoflakes are dispersively anchored on CNTs, resulting in hierarchical
structures as a hybrid electrode (M/CNT@MoS2@GW, M = Fe,
Co, and Ni). The wood matrix hybrid electrodes with abundant microchannels
and hierarchical pores could supply electrolytes for continuous reaction
and boost gas diffusion. Consequently, the hybrid electrocatalyst
Fe/Fe3C/CNT@MoS2@GW exhibits superior HER activity
with an overpotential as low as 66.79 mV at 10 mA cm–2 in an alkaline solution. The activity of the hybrid structure is
reduced only by 10.18% at 20 mA cm–2 after 48 h
electrolysis, with nearly no decay after 5000 cyclic voltammetry (CV)
cycles, suggesting good stability and durability. Density functional
theory calculations illustrate that a thermodynamically favorable
hydrogen adsorption free energy (ΔG
H* ≈ 0.07 eV) promotes the catalytic reactions. The results
hold great potential in the exploration of wood-derived catalysts
for high-performance HER.