Structural and electronic modification of MoS2 nanosheets using S-doped carbon for efficient electrocatalysis of the hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

We discovered the in situ generation of S-doped carbon sandwiched between the MoS₂ nano-sheets during pyrolysis of Mo(VI)–polydopamine (PDA) in the presence of elemental sulfur. This causes enrichment of MoS₂ with more edge planes (2H → 1T), also resulting in enhanced charge density and electronic conductivity. The phase transformed MoS₂[@S-C_PDA] exhibits enhanced HER activity with η = 160 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻².