Dodecylation of molybdenum disulfide and its electrochemical properties for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Abstract Functionalization of MoS2 was achieved by treatment in a strongly reducing sodium naphthalene solution. Dodecyl was grafted onto MoS2 nanosheets using alkyl sulphates as electrophiles to obtain dodecylated MoS2 without affecting the MoS2 crystalline structure. Superior electrocatalytic properties are obtained for dodecylated MoS2. The polarisation curve of this nanomaterial remained constant even after 1000 consecutive cycles. This route provides a new pathway for covalent functionalization of MoS2 and might find a variety of applications, such as electrocatalysts.