Rare-Earth Elements Modified 1T Phase Mos2 Synergy with Defects for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

Earth-abundant MoS2 has drawn continuous attentions in many fields, especially hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which has been regarded as an effective technology for renewable energy. However, its activity is limited by edge sites, to the disadvantage of atomic economy. Herein, combination with theoretical calculation, we propose that rare-earth element (Ce, La, and Tb) synergy with defect can optimize bulk site of MoS2 for HER. Furthermore, self-supporting electrode was designed for integrating the optimized activity site, leading to an excellent HER performance. Compared to La, Tb, and pristine MoS2, the Ce-based MoS2 synergy with defect has a better activity with an overpotential of 165 mV to achieve 100 mA cm-2, close to the state-of-the-art noble metal Pt.