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Phase‐Engineering of 1T/2H Molybdenum Disulfide by Using Ionic Liquid for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution
Author(s) -
Zhang Xin,
Li He,
Yang Hui,
Xie Fei,
Yuan Zhihao,
Zajickova Lenka,
Li Wenjiang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.202000745
Subject(s) - tafel equation , molybdenum disulfide , electrocatalyst , pyridinium , ionic liquid , phase (matter) , bromide , stacking , catalysis , steric effects , ionic bonding , chemistry , materials science , molybdenum , chemical engineering , crystallography , inorganic chemistry , combinatorial chemistry , electrochemistry , stereochemistry , organic chemistry , electrode , ion , engineering , metallurgy
Two‐dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) has been regarded as an attractive non‐precious‐metal electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Engineering the crystal phase of MoS 2 to activate the basal planes/edges and simultaneously improve the electronic conductivity is currently an effective strategy for enhancing its HER activity. Herein, we report a facile and efficient hydrothermal route to prepare 1T/2H‐MoS 2 catalysts using ionic liquid (N‐butyl pyridinium bromide, [BPy]Br) as a structure‐directing agent, where the large steric hindrance of [BPy]Br and the mutual π‐stacking interaction induce the phase transition of MoS 2 from 2H to the 1T phase. By adding a suitable amount of [BPy]Br in the reaction system, the portion of the 1T phase in 1T/2H‐MoS 2 was increased, which can expose more active sites on its basal planes/edges as well as facilitate charge transfer for the HER. Consequently, 1T/2H‐MoS 2 with the 1T portion of 91.9 % exhibits a significantly enhanced HER activity compared to that of the MoS 2 synthesized without the aid of [BPy]Br, in terms of a lower Tafel slope of 59 mV dec −1 . This synthesis strategy provides valuable guidance for designing the phase structure of MoS 2 ‐based electrocatalysts to achieve high HER efficiency.