Cobalt copper alloys encapsulated by MOS2/N-doped graphene nano-heterostructures for orr application

In this work, a hybrid containing cobalt-copper alloys encapsulated 2D-molybdenum disulfide/nitrogen-doped graphene (CuCo@2D-MoS2/N-Gr) is synthesized by a simple thermal treatment and investigated as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution. Benefiting from the large electrochemical surface area of 2D-MoS2 and Gr, the highly electrical conductivity of Gr, good synergetic effects between Cu and Co, good contact between MoS2 and N-Gr, and N-doing effect, the resulting CuCo@2D-MoS2/N-Gr hybrid exhibits high catalytic performance for ORR with positive onset (0.96 V), high current density (-6 mA.cm^-2), superior stability, and good methanol tolerance compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The CuCo@2D-MoS2/N-Gr hybrid is expected as a promising catalyst material for fuel cell applications.