Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

Pt-like Electrocatalytic Performance of 1T-MoS₂ Enabled by Enhanced Hydrogen Underpotential Deposition

MoS2, a layered transition metal dichalcogenides material, In contrast, 1T-MoS2, a hydrophilic and metallic material, has more active sites which exit in both edges and basal surfaces. The electronic conductivity of 1T phase is greater than that of 2H phase, 1T-MoS2 is more favorable in the application of hydrogen evolution catalyst, energy storage, photocatalytic degradation and thermoelectric energy harvesting. Here, we propose a microwave hydrothermal strategy to synthesize a coal-derived graphene-intercalated 1T MoS₂ heterostructure. After annealing process, it forms a more ordered graphene-like carbon with a larger lateral area. This 1T MoS2 heterostructure is a markedly electron-rich two-dimensional layered material. The successful synthesis of 1T-phase MoS₂ provides a metallic layered structure that significantly enhances electronic conductivity compared to the semiconducting 2H phase. Given that the 1T phase has been reported to exhibit Pt-like catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution, we explored its application as a non-noble metal catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic media. The 1T MoS2 we synthesized exhibited a pronounced negative current in the positive potential range of 0 to +0.4 V (vs. RHE), reaching as low as –10 mA cm⁻² at +0.15 V (vs. RHE). The voltage window closely resembles the HUPD region observed on Pt, therefore, we try to attribute this behavior to a HUPD process. Although the detailed reaction mechanism remains unclear, we hypothesize that the unique interlayer structure of the intercalated 1T MoS2 significantly influences the kinetics of the Volmer step. Our study demonstrate that this material holds great promise as a cost-effective alternative to platinum-based electrocatalysts.