Recent advances in single metal atom-doped MoS2 as catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

The development of low-cost and highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical to the wide-spread applications of water splitting technology. In recent years, many efforts are devoted to exploring HER catalysts with high activity and stability based on non-precious metals. Benefited from the advantages of two-dimensional (2D) materials with unique physicochemical properties along with the single-atom catalysts with high activity, excellent stability and maximized atom utility efficiency, a new category of catalysts with 2D materials confining single atoms have shown great promises as high-performance HER catalysts. In this review, MoS2, as one of the typical 2D materials, doped with various single metal atoms as HER catalysts are fully discussed, including different synthetic strategies, catalytic performances and mechanisms toward HER as well as the major challenges ahead.