Engineering MoS₂ for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution: A Review of Phase, Defect, Doping, and Composite Strategies

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Global energy and environmental concerns necessitate efficient, low-cost hydrogen production catalysts.
• Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising non-precious metal catalyst for water electrolysis.
• Key challenges for MoS2 include poor conductivity and inert basal planes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review recent advances in MoS2-based materials for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.
• To explore strategies for overcoming MoS2 limitations by tuning electronic structure and surface properties.
• To provide insights for designing high-performance MoS2 electrocatalysts for industrial applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of multidimensional strategies including phase engineering (2H-1T transformation).
• Analysis of defect engineering (sulfur/molybdenum vacancies) and elemental doping (heteroatoms).
• Examination of composite structure construction (heterojunctions with carbon materials).

Main Results:

• Strategies effectively increase active site density and optimize hydrogen adsorption free energy.
• Enhanced charge transport efficiency is achieved through synergistic regulation of MoS2 properties.
• Modified MoS2 materials demonstrate significant improvements in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Conclusions:

• Multidimensional strategies are crucial for unlocking the full potential of MoS2 electrocatalysts.
• Addressing conductivity and basal plane inertness is key to high-performance MoS2.
• Future research should focus on industrial scalability and application of advanced MoS2 catalysts.