Investigation of the Electrocatalytic Properties of WSe2/rGO Nanocomposite for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Physics, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

2 Department of Nano Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Amol University of Special Modern Technologies, Amol, 46158-63111, Iran

Abstract

In this study, reduced tungsten diselenide/graphene oxide nanocomposites were successfully synthesized as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (WSe₂/RGO) via hydrothermal method due to their unique structural features, outstanding catalytic performance along with high chemical stability. Characterizations performed, using XRD, SEM and EDX techniques, confirmed the successful formation of WSe₂/RGO nanocomposites. The results of electrochemical experiments indicated the excellent electrocatalytic performance of this nanostructure, including high current density and charge transfer resistance comparable to platinum-based catalysts. The findings of this study suggest that WSe₂/RGO nanocomposite can be used as an economical and efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in diverse applications such as fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and other technologies related to energy storage and conversion. These properties, together with the scalability potential of the hydrothermal synthesis method, make WSe₂/RGO nanocomposite a promising alternative to expensive catalysts in industrial applications

Keywords

References

[1] Singh S. K., Takeyasu K., Nakamura J., “Active Sites and Mechanism of Oxygen Reduction Reaction Electrocatalysis on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Materials”, Adv. Mater. 31 (2019) 1804297-1804307.

[2] Wang M., Wang C., Zhu L., Rong F., He L., Lou Y., Zhang Z., “Bimetallic NiCo metal-organic frameworks for efficient non-Pt methanol electrocatalytic oxidation”, Appl. Catal. A Gen., 619 (2021)118159-68.
[3] Jin J., Hu S., Zhang X., Sun S., “Effect of MoO₃ on Pd nanoparticles for efficient formic acid electrooxidation”, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 48 (2023)15483–91.
[4] Solymani Moghaddam M., Bahari A., Rajaei Litkohi H., “Using the synergistic effects of MoS₂/rGO and bimetallic hybrids as a high-performance nanoelectrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction”, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 48 (2023) 33139–54.
[5] Karimi F., Akin M., Bayat R., Bekmezci M., Darabi R., Aghapour E., Sen F., “Application of quasihexagonal Pt@PdS₂-MWCNT catalyst with high electrochemical performance for electro-oxidation of methanol, 2-propanol, and glycerol alcohols for fuel cells”, Mol. Catal. 536 (2023)112874-85.
[6] Zhao J., Hu T., Wang J., Wang Y., Zhang J., Lv B., Zhang W., Jia J., “Strain effect induced Pd nanoparticles decorated Pd²⁺-doped Co₃O₄ nanosheets for efficient electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions”, Mol .Catal., 556 (2024)113902-912.
[7] Shi H., Liao F., Zhu W., Shao C., Shao M., “Effective PtAu nanowire network catalysts with ultralow Pt content for formic acid oxidation and methanol oxidation”, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 45 (2020)16071–16079.
[8] Huang H., Chen Y., Chen Z., Chen J., Hu Y., Zhu J.J., “Electrochemical sensor based on Ce-MOF/carbon nanotube composite for the simultaneous discrimination of hydroquinone and catechol”, J. Hazard Mater., 416 (2021)125895-905.
[9] Larsen R., Ha S., Zakzeski J., Masel R.I., “Unusually active palladium-based catalysts for the electrooxidation of formic acid”, J. Power Sources, 157 (2006)78–84.
[10] Wang S., Xue Y., Yu Z., Huang F., Jin Y., “Layered 2D MOF nanosheets grown on CNTs substrates for efficient nitrite sensing”, Mater. Today Chem., 30 (2023)101490-97.
 [11]  Wang J., Li H., Sun Y., "Tungsten disulfide nanosheets as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction" ACS Appl. Mater. Interf., 7(5) (2015) 2504–2510.
[12]  Sofian M., Nasim F., Ali H., Nadeem M.A., "Sm₂O₃ promoted Pd/rGO electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation", Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 48 (2023)16370–16380.
[13] Qu K.,  Zhao Y.,  Xia S., et al."Graphene oxide-wrapped WS₂ as a bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution and reduction."J.Mater. Chem. A, 5 (2017). 11233–11240.
[14] Ramachandran R., Xuan W., Zhao C., Leng X., Sun D., Luo D., Wang F., "Enhanced electrochemical properties of cerium metal–organic framework based composite electrodes for high-performance supercapacitor application". RSC Adv. 28 (2018) 3462–3469.
[15] Avasarala A.,  Moore B., Haldolaarachchige N., et al., "Graphene-based bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions."Electrochimica Acta, 128 (2014) 218–225.
[16]  Li X.,  Wang H.,  Robinson J., et al., "MoS₂ nanoparticles grown on graphene: an advanced catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction."J. American Chem. Soc., 133(2011) 7296–7299

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 27 August 2025
  • Revise Date: 30 August 2025
  • Accept Date: 18 October 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics