Conducting polymer-templated and nonnoble metal doped MoSe2 hybrids as bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting.

[Display omitted] • MoSe 2 catalysts were prepared in the presence of polyaniline and simultaneously doped with three different transition (Co, Ni, or Fe) metals. • Incorporation of conductive polyaniline and transition metal doping enhanced the active sites of MoSe 2 for electrochemical water splitting. • Co-doped MoSe 2 @PANI catalyst exhibited overpotentials of 196 mV and 385 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for HER and OER, respectively. • Co-doped MoSe 2 @PANI could help to future design of low-cost and high-performance bifunctional catalysts for overall water splitting. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are potential candidates for electrocatalytic applications due to their unique structures and intrinsic properties. In this work, the systematic synthesis of conducting polymer-templated and nonnoble metal-doped MoSe 2 hybrids was carried out using a facile hydrothermal method. Integrating conductive polyaniline, as a conductive polymer, with MoSe 2 nanosheets (MoSe 2 @PANI) as well as transition metal (Co, Ni or Fe) doping provided more active sites for both H+ and OH– adsorption, resulting in enhanced hydrogen and oxygen evolution performance. The Co-doped MoSe 2 @PANI hybrid catalyst exhibited enhanced bifunctional electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolytes, where Co-doping as well as polyaniline addition played key roles in boosting the HER/OER activity. As a result, the Co-doped MoSe 2 @PANI catalyst exhibited overpotentials of 196 mV and 385 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for the HER and OER, respectively. When Co-doped MoSe 2 @PANI was applied as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting, a potential of 1.82 V was needed to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, the Co-doped MoSe 2 @PANI catalyst displayed good stability for long-term cycling. This work provides new insight into the design of metal-doped TMD/conducting polymer-based materials for electrocatalytic applications, including water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]