MoS Photoelectrodes for Hydrogen Production: Tuning the S-Vacancy Content in Highly Homogeneous Ultrathin Nanocrystals

Tuning the electrocatalytic properties of MoS layers can be achieved through different paths, such as reducing their thickness, creating edges in the MoS flakes, and introducing S-vacancies. We combine these three approaches by growing MoS electrodes by using a special salt-assisted chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. This procedure allows the growth of ultrathin MoS nanocrystals (1-3 layers thick and a few nanometers wide), as evidenced by atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. This morphology of the MoS layers at the nanoscale induces some specific features in the Raman and photoluminescence spectra compared to exfoliated or microcrystalline MoS layers. Moreover, the S-vacancy content in the layers can be tuned during CVD growth by using Ar/H mixtures as a carrier gas. Detailed optical microtransmittance and microreflectance spectroscopies, micro-Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements with sub-millimeter spatial resolution show that the obtained samples present an excellent homogeneity over areas in the cm range. The electrochemical and photoelectrochemical properties of these MoS layers were investigated using electrodes with relatively large areas (0.8 cm). The prepared MoS cathodes show outstanding Faradaic efficiencies as well as long-term stability in acidic solutions. In addition, we demonstrate that there is an optimal number of S-vacancies to improve the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical performances of MoS.