Synthesis of MoX₂ (X = Se or S) monolayers with high-concentration 1T' phase on 4H/fcc-Au nanorods for hydrogen evolution

Controlled synthesis of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers with unusual crystal phases has attracted increasing attention due to their promising applications in electrocatalysis. However, the facile and large-scale preparation of TMD monolayers with high-concentration unusual crystal phase still remains a challenge. Herein, we report the synthesis of MoX₂ (X = Se or S) monolayers with high-concentration semimetallic 1Tx phase by using the 4H/face-centered cubic (fcc)-Au nanorod as template to form the 4H/fcc-Au@MoX₂ nanocomposite. The concentrations of 1Tx phase in the prepared MoSe₂ and MoS₂ monolayers are up to 86% and 81%, respectively. As a proof-of-concept application, the obtained Au@MoS₂ nanocomposite is used for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acid medium, exhibiting excellent performance with a low overpotential of 178 mV at the current density of 10 mA/cm², a small Tafel slope of 43.3 mV/dec, and excellent HER stability. This work paves a way for direct synthesis of TMD monolayers with high-concentration of unusual crystal phase for the electrocatalytic application.