Design of basal plane active MoS2 through one-step nitrogen and phosphorus co-doping as an efficient pH-universal electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Abstract The exploration of low-cost, stable, and highly active noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in a wide pH range is crucial but still challenging task for renewable energy techniques. MoS 2 -based materials have been considered as a promising electrocatalyst for HER. However, corresponding studies have been hampered by the lack of effective routes to fully utilize the large number of inert basal plane for catalyzing HER, especially under alkaline media. Herein, a novel ammonia ions-guided-nitrogenization-phosphorization strategy is developed to prepare N and P co-doped MoS 2 with active basal plane for efficient catalyzing HER with a quite low overpotential of 116 and 78 mV in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 and 1.0 M KOH to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm −2 , respectively. Experimental studies and theoretical calculations confirm Mo-N-P sites in the basal plane of MoS 2 can not only accelerate HER kinetics, but also result in energetic favorability and structure stability. Furthermore, outstanding performances are also obtained under both sea and river water, vastly broadening the application prospects.