Defect-rich MoS2 nanowall catalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Designing efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted substantial attention owing to the urgent demand for clean energy to face the energy crisis and subsequent environmental issues in the near future. Among the large variety of HER catalysts, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has been regarded as the most famous catalyst owing to its abundance, low price, high efficiency, and definite catalytic mechanism. In this study, defect-engineered MoS2 nanowall (NW) catalysts with controllable thickness were fabricated and exhibited a significantly enhanced HER performance. Benefiting from the highly exposed active edge sites and the rough surface accompanied by the robust NW structure, the defect-rich MoS2 NW catalyst with an optimized thickness showed an ultralow onset overpotential of 85 mV, a high current density of 310.6 mA·cm−2 at η = 300 mV, and a low potential of 95 mV to drive a 10 mA·cm−2 cathodic current. Additionally, excellent electrochemical stability was realized, making this freestanding NW catalyst a promising candidate for practical water splitting and hydrogen production.