Recent advances in single metal atom-doped MoS2 as catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

The development of low-cost and highly efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is critical to the widespread applications of water splitting technology. In recent years, many efforts are devoted to exploring HER catalysts with high activity and stability based on non-precious metals. Benefited from the advantages of two-dimensional (2D) materials with unique physicochemical properties along with the single-atom catalysts with high activity, excellent stability and maximized atom utility efficiency, a new category of catalysts with 2D materials confining single atoms have shown great promises as high-performance HER catalysts. In this review, MoS 2 , as one of the typical 2D materials, doped with various single metal atoms as HER catalysts are fully discussed, including different synthetic strategies, catalytic performances and mechanisms toward HER as well as the major challenges ahead.

In situ sulfuration synthesis of heterostructure MoS2–Mo2C@C for boosting the photocatalytic H2 production activity of TiO2

“…Interestingly, metal sulfides have been extensively studied for boosting the photocatalytic hydrogen-formation efficiency because of the edged S atoms in metal sulfides with a powerful H + -absorption ability. [33][34][35][36] In our recent works, it was also proved that the unsaturated sulfur atoms of MoS 2 as hydrogen-formation catalytic centers can rapidly capture hydrogen ions from solution to facilitate the H 2 -formation activity of g-C 3 N 4 , CdS and TiO 2 . 37,38 In this work, the S element was introduced into Mo 2 C@C to generate the heterostructure MoS 2 -Mo 2 C@C by in situ sulfidation of Mo 2 C@C at high temperature.…”

Iodine-Doping-Induced Electronic Structure Tuning of Atomic Cobalt for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalysis

“…Consequently, enormous effort has been devoted to developing alternatives based on inexpensive and earth-abundant elements, including metal alloys, metal carbides, metal chalcogenides, metal nitrides, metal phosphides, nanocarbons, etc. − Recently, metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) materials as an attractive class of single-atom catalysts (SACs) are emerging as promising candidates for catalyzing a wide range of electrochemical processes including HER with advantageous features of maximum atom utilization efficiency and intriguing electronic structure. − Nevertheless, the HER catalytic activity of the existing M–N-Cs is far from satisfactory and has much room for improvement.…”

Substitution of copper atoms into defect-rich molybdenum sulfides and their electrocatalytic activity

“…shown great potential to function as an economic HER catalyst due to its relatively moderate Gibbs free energy (i.e., atomic hydrogen bond formation is neither too strong nor too weak). 6,7,8 However, these 2D materials have a significant portion of the inert basal plane, reducing the number of active sites and electrical conductivity, thus limiting its application in practical hydrogen production. 9 Nevertheless, several activities are being carried to overcome these obstacles by modulating its composition, crystal structure/phase transformation, and morphology.…”