Study on Nickel-induced 1T/2H MoS2 nanostructures in realizing efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

• Rational design and successfully prepared Ni-induced 1T/2H MoS 2 . • Ni-induced 1T/2H MoS 2 exhibits efficient HER catalytic performance. • The Ni-ions are favorable for enhancing the HER performance. Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) catalysts have gained great attention in several applications due to their unique properties as well as their tunable electronic structures. Fabrication of cost-effective and highly efficient electrocatalysts is vital for water splitting. Herein, we have synthesized nickel (Ni) induced mixed-phase (1T/2H) MoS 2 by solvothermal method and have studied its characteristics to be used for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The doping of Ni in MoS 2 is aimed at increasing the efficiency of HER performance and it has been proved to be a highly effective HER catalyst in an acidic medium. Ni-doped (9%) MoS 2 achieved the lowest overpotential of 127 mV for the HER at 10 mA cm −2 and a Tafel slope of 86 mV dec -1 among the other concentrations of Ni-doping studied. This work demonstrates the constructive outcome of doping the catalyst for HER and provides a pragmatic way for obtaining earth-abundant electrocatalysts.