Facile Preparation of Flexible Lateral 2D MoS2 Nanosheets for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation and Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted significant attention with their high optical response due to their interesting and unique fundamental phenomena. A lateral 2D MoS2 nanosheets was prepared via a facile one-step electrophoretic deposition method on polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/ITO. These nanosheets have been used as photoelectrode materials for photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen generation and optoelectronics. The chemical structure and morphology were confirmed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Raman, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The optical absorbance of the 2D MoS2 nanosheets extended to the UV, Vis, and near-IR regions with a bandgap value of 1.59 eV. The testing of the prepared photoelectrode material, PET/ITO/MoS2, was carried out through a three-electrode system, in which the current density (Jph) value represents the rate of H2 gas evaluated. The Jph enhanced under light illumination compared to the dark conditions with values of 0.4 to 0.98 mA·cm−2, respectively. The produced photocurrent at V = 0 V was 0.44 mA·cm−2. This confirms the great abilities of the PET/ITO/MoS2 photoelectrode in light detection and hydrogen generation with high photoresponsivity values. Soon, our team will work on the development of a prototype of this three-electrode cell to convert the water directly into H2 fuel gas that could be applied in houses and factories, or even in advanced technology such as spacecraft and airplane F-35s by providing H2 gas as a renewable energy source.