Ti₃C₂/MoS₂ Nanocomposite Heterojunction for High-Efficiency Piezocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Piezocatalytic hydrogen evolution has emerged as a promising green energy technology that converts mechanical vibrations into clean hydrogen fuel. The rational design of heterojunction catalysts significantly enhances charge separation and transfer efficiency, leading to a substantially improved H₂ production performance. In this study, a Ti₃C₂/MoS₂ heterojunction piezocatalyst was successfully synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method for efficient hydrogen evolution through mechanical energy conversion. The optimized Ti₃C₂/MoS₂-2 demonstrated exceptional piezocatalytic performance, achieving a hydrogen production rate of 4916.96 μmol/g/h in methanol under 45 kHz and 300 W, which was 1.97 times that of pure MoS₂ (2502.23 μmol/g/h) catalyst and 1.70 times that of Ti₃C₂ (2893.75 μmol/g/h). The enhanced performance was attributed to the heterojunction between conductive Ti₃C₂ and 2D MoS₂ nanosheets, which facilitated efficient charge separation and transfer through the formation of a built-in electric field at the heterointerface. The catalyst maintained good stability over five cycles. This work provides new insights into the design of high-performance piezocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production from mechanical energy.