Improved HER activity of Ru nanoparticles decorated MoS2 with S defect

Surface modification of 2H molybdenum disulfide (2H-MoS2) has been found to be one of the most effective approaches for improving the catalytic performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) process. Here, the metal Ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles (NPs) could realize synergistically structural and electronic modulations of MoS2 with S-vacancy (SvMoS2). The experiments and first-principles calculations demonstrated S-vacancy could optimize MoS2 sites for the HER. While Ru NPs loaded on SvMoS2 (Ru@SvMoS2), the interaction between Ru and SvMoS2 contribute to improved electrical conductivity of SvMoS2. Thus, Ru@SvMoS2 possess robust electrocatalytic activity with good stability. Furthermore, this study opens a new venue for optimizing electrocatalytic materials with good performance.