Facile Synthesis of 1T-Phase MoS2 Nanosheets on N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes towards Highly Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

1T-phase molybdenum disulfide is supposed to be one of the non-precious metal-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction with the highest potential. Herein, 1T-MoS2 nanosheets were anchored on N-doped carbon nanotubes by a simple hydrothermal process with the assistance of urea promotion transition of the 1T phase. Based on the 1T-MoS2 nanosheets anchored on the N-doped carbon nanotubes structures, 1T-MoS2 nanosheets can be said to have highly exposed active sites from edges and the basal plane, and the dopant N in carbon nanotubes can promote electron transfer between N-doped carbon nanotubes and 1T-MoS2 nanosheets. With the synergistic effects of this structure, the excellent 1T-MoS2/ N-doped carbon nanotubes catalyst has a small overpotential of 150 mV at 10 mA cm(-2), a relatively low Tafel slope of 63 mV dec(-1), and superior stability. This work proposes a new strategy to design high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts.

Automated summary

This study anchored 1T-phase molybdenum disulfide nanosheets on N-doped carbon nanotubes using a simple hydrothermal process, creating a high-performance catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction. The structure has highly exposed active sites, promotes electron transfer, and exhibits excellent stability, proposing a new design strategy for high-performance HER catalysts.