Porous MoS₂ Framework and Its Functionality for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction and Lithium Ion Batteries

A unique porous framework of highly ordered few-layered MoS2 was realized by using the facile solvothermal technique. The structure was composed of crystalline MoS2 in the 2H phase, with ordered, 100–150 nm wide pores and a 15 nm wall thickness. The porous framework was studied for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and rechargeable Li ion batteries. The porous MoS2 showed enhanced catalytic activity for electrochemical HER, with an overpotential of −210 mV at 10 mA cm–2. In addition, in Li ion storage testing, the half-cell delivered high specific capacities: 1265 and 1256 mAh g–1 at 50 mA g–1 and 1172 and 1161 mAh g–1 at 200 mA g–1 for the first discharge and charge with Coulombic efficiencies 99.3% and 99.0%, respectively. The cyclic stability showed a reversible specific discharge capacity of 1178 mAh g–1 after 100 cycles, which is attributed to the porous MoS2 framework. An impedance study revealed an improved charge transfer process, attributed to the availability of the channels for the Li+ ion intercalation due to the porous framework of the MoS2. The prima facie observation shows that this unique morphology has significantly improved the performance of such materials without additional modifications, such as doping, indicating that such a porous framework may serve as promising bifunctional electrodes for both energy conversion and storage applications.