MoS2 with tunable surface structure directed by thiophene adsorption toward HDS and HER

MoS2 catalysts with more active sites and larger surface areas were successfully synthesized via a simple hydrothermal reaction method, and the surface structure of MoS2 was readily tailored by simply adding thiophene during the synthesis procedure. The MoS2 samples synthesized with thiophene, especially MoS2 prepared with 200 mu L of thiophene, concomitantly exhibited better activity for both hydrodesulfurization and hydrogen evolution reactions. The present work provides an efficient route to achieve highly efficient MoS2 catalysts, and may open up a new avenue for the morphological design of layered structural compounds like MoS2.