Vertical nanosheet array of 1T phase MoS2 for efficient and stable hydrogen evolution

Metallic 1 T phase of molybdenum disulfide (1 T-phase MoS2) was proposed as an more ideal electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) than 2H-phase owing to its proliferated density of active sites and superior electroconductivity. Nevertheless, the conventional synthetic route of 1 T-phase MoS2 through lithium intercalation suffers from tedious laboratory work and low yield, and the resulting powdery products are undesirable for practical applications. Herein, we developed a facile and scalable hydrothermal route to fabricate a self-supported electrode based on 1 T-phase MoS2, which enables the 1 T-phase MoS2 nanosheets to in-situ vertically grow on conductive carbon fiber cloth (1 T-MoS2/CC). The resultant 1 T-MoS2/CC combines advantages of the highly catalytically active phase of MoS2 and the unique self-supported structure. MoS2 nanosheets in 1 T-phase provide abundant active sites and high conductivity, while the self-supported structure endows the electrode with enhanced accessibility to active sites and efficient electron transfer throughout the structure. Owing to these merits, 1 T-MoS2/CC delivered remarkable activity towards the HER with a small overpotential of 151 mV to afford 10 mA·cm−2 current density as well as brilliant stability, which is far superior to 2H-MoS2/CC and its powdery counterpart (1 T-MoS2). Therefore, this strategy makes the 1 T-MoS2/CC a competitive electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution.