Hydrogen generation by water splitting using MoS2 and other transition metal dichalcogenides

Generation of H₂ from water has emerged to be an important alternative for replacing fossil fuels. In this context, a variety of materials has been investigated as electrocatalysts or photocatalysts for the reduction of water. Of these, transition metal dichalcogenides have emerged to be effective catalysts yielding good hydrogen evolution activity. This is particularly true of photocatalysis. MoS₂ in the form of nanosheets exhibits particularly good activity in its metallic form and also in covalently linked composites with C₃N₄ and such two-dimensional (2D) materials. In this article, we present both electrochemical and photochemical catalysis by 2D-transition metal dichalcogenides in the hydrogen evolution reaction.