A multiphasic 1T/2H MoS2 electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution, which exhibits excellent performances with a small Tafel slope of 46 mV dec−1, is developed by phase engineering via a simple hydrothermal route.

Two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) with high active site density were designed for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) through a microdomain reaction method. The effect of the annealing temperature on the microstructure and the HER performance of MoS2 NSs was examined, and a plausible relation between the stack structures of the MoS2 catalysts and their HER performance was also explored. The MoS2 NS electrocatalyst obtained at 550 °C reveals the best HER performance with a relatively small Tafel slope of 68 mV/dec. Both the exposed surface area and active site density are very important for providing a large amount of active sites. The present work has been proved to be an efficient route to achieve a high active site density and a relatively large surface area, which might have potential use in photoelectrocatalytic water splitting.

Since ever-increasing energy demands stimulated intensive research activities on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), biomass as an earth-abundant renewable energy source has played an intriguing and promising role in developing sustainable biomass-derived carbons and their composite materials for high-performance LIB anodes. Different from other materials (e.g., silicon, tin, metal oxides, etc.), biomass-derived carbons and their composite materials have been applied more and more to LIBs due to their advantages such as low cost, green and eco-friendly synthesis, easy accessibility, sustainable strategy, and improved battery performance, including capacity, cycling property, and stability/durability. This tutorial review focusing on biomass-derived carbons and their composites in the application of LIB anodes will act as a strategic guide to build a close connection between renewable materials and electrochemical energy storage devices. Also, this review provides a critical analysis and comparison of biomass-derived carbons and their composites for LIB anodes, coupled with an important insight into the remaining challenges and future directions in the field.

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