Amorphous-MoO/MoS heterostructure: in situ oxidizing amorphization of S-vacancy MoS for enhanced alkaline hydrogen evolution.

Cost-effective and durable electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are urgently required. The slow HER kinetics suppressed by water dissociation hinder the application of catalysts in alkaline media. Herein, we constructed an amorphous heterostructure that combined amorphous-MoO (A-MoO) and MoS by in situ oxidizing amorphization of S-vacancy MoS. The optimal A-MoO/MoS catalyst exhibited a competitive HER overpotential of -146 mV at η = -10 mA cm. DFT calculations indicate that A-MoO can reduce the energy barriers of water dissociation and H formation, and the heterointerfaces can facilitate charge transfer.