Synthesis and in situ sulfidation of molybdenum carbide MXene using fluorine-free etchant for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions

Synthesizing MXenes from Mn+1AXn (MAX) phases using hazardous hydrogen fluoride is a common and effective method. However, fluorine termination on the basal planes and edges of the resulting MXenes is undesirable for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), while oxygen (O), hydroxyl (OH), and sulfur (S) termination favors this reaction. Herein, we unveil a simple fluorine-free exfoliation and two-step vulcanization method for synthesizing molybdenum sulfide-modified molybdenum carbide (MoS2/Mo2CTx MXene, T = OH, O, S) for the HER in alkaline medium. Microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment of the MAX phase (Mo3AlC2) with sodium hydroxide-sodium sulfide as an etching solution and thioacetamide as a source of sulfide ions enabled the selective dissolution of the aluminum (Al) layer and sulfidation of the surface Mo atoms to form amorphous MoS2. Thus, the vulcanization of Mo2CTx MXene resulted in the formation of MoS2/Mo2CTx MXene. The MoS2 formed on the surface of Mo2CTx provided enhanced stability by preventing oxidation. MoS2/Mo2CTx exhibited enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward the HER, mainly due to the O, OH, and amorphous MoS2 functionalities. The MoS2 sites on the surface exhibited an overpotential of 110 ± 7 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 as a result of enhanced charge transfer and mass transfer. Thus, the sulfidation method demonstrated herein is capable of producing amorphous MoS2 structures on Mo2CTx MXene, which could be applied for the surface modification of other molybdenum-based nanomaterials or electrocatalysts to improve stability and enhance electrocatalytic activity.