1D/2D Heterostructures as Ultrathin Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract 2D MoS₂ has emerged as a promising alternative to Pt‐based catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its low cost and earth abundance. However, insufficient active sites of basal plane and poor conductivity become the foremost factors restricting the catalytic performance of MoS₂. Here, a facile strategy is presented to enhance the HER performance of MoS₂ by converting its 2D structure into 1D/2D heterostructures of Mo₆Te₆/MoS_2(1−x)Te_2x by the in situ tellurization. As‐prepared 1D/2D heterostructures exhibit excellent HER performance with the Tafel slope of ≈56 mV dec⁻¹ (only one‐third of that for pristine MoS₂). The enhanced HER catalytic activity is attributed to more Te/S vacancies introduced by tellurization, which serve as the active sites as suggested by theoretical calculations. Besides, the formation of highly conductive well‐aligned quasi‐1D Mo₆Te₆ nanobelts facilitate charge transport in HER. Previous work provides a facile approach to construct mixed dimensional materials, and opens up a new avenue to the properties modulation of 2D transition metal chalcogenides.