Synthesis and electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction of ReSe2 nanosheets

Two-dimensional ReSe2 as catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted attention due to its unique 1T′ structure and anisotropic physical properties in base planes. In this work, ReSe2 nanosheets were directly prepared on a carbon cloth (CC) substrate by hydrothermal synthesis technology. The reaction solution was prepared using ammonium perrhenium (NH4ReO4), sodium borohydride (NaBH4), selenium (Se) powder and deionized water. The effects of reactant concentrations and reaction time on the catalytic properties of the ReSe2 /CC for HER were researched. When the concentration of NH4ReO4, Se and NaBH4 is 0.05 M, 0.065 M and 0.200 M, ReSe2/CC shows the optimal HER catalytic properties with overpotential of 197 mV at current density of 10mAcm-2 , Tafel slope of 142 mVdec-1 and ECSA of 325cm2 . The formation mechanism and working mechanism in the HER process of ReSe2/CC are discussed.