Wood-derived electrode supporting CVD-grown ReS2 for efficient and stable hydrogen production

Rhenium disulfide (ReS2) as a catalyst is promising in water splitting for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) owing to its unique structure and physiochemical property. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is one of effective means for the fabrication of high-crystallinity ReS2. At present, conductivities of typical substrates used for the CVD growth are mostly poor. The transfer to a conductive support or other engineering for improving the conductivity is necessarily required for the application of HER electrode. However, the damage to original structure and the introduction of impurities are highly possible in the process. The cost of time and material is also increased. In this work, we propose that a wood-derived carbon framework is used as a working electrode supporting CVD-grown ReS2 nanosheets in electrocatalytic HER. The optimal HER electrode with unique pore-through structure exhibits effective electrochemical surface area of 521 cmECSA2 and outstanding stability over 11 h. Such a carbon framework derived from natural wood is earth-abundant, ecofriendly and renewable, which can be potentially applied in the green energy industry.