One-step synthesis of MoS₂/NiS heterostructures with a stable 1T phase for an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Metallic phase (1T) MoS2 has been regarded as an ideal catalytic material for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its high active site density and favorable electrical conductivity. However, the preparation of 1T-phase MoS2 samples requires tough reaction conditions and 1T-MoS2 has poor stability under alkaline conditions. In this work, 1T-MoS2/NiS heterostructure catalysts grown in situ on carbon cloth were prepared by a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The obtained MoS2/NiS/CC combines the advantages of high active site density and a self-supporting structure, achieving stable 77% metal phase (1T) MoS2. The combination of NiS and 1T-MoS2 enhances the intrinsic activity of MoS2 while the electrical conductivity is improved. These advantages enable the 1T-MoS2/NiS/CC electrocatalyst to have a low overpotential of 89 mV (@10 mA cm(-2)) and a small Tafel slope of 75 mV dec(-1) under alkaline conditions and provide a synthetic strategy of stable 1T-MoS2-based electrocatalysts for the HER by a heterogeneous structure.