Surface-Induced 2D/1D Heterostructured Growth of ReS2/CoS2 for High-Performance Electrocatalysts

Two-dimensional/one-dimensional (2D/1D) heterostructures have received much attention from researchers for their abundant catalytically active sites and low contact resistance due to formation of chemical bonds at the interface. The investigation of such heterostructures, however, is confined to lattice-matched materials, which severely limits the material candidates. Herein, we demonstrate a lattice-mismatched 2D/1D heterostructured electrocatalyst consisting of 2D ReS2 nanosheets and 1D CoS2 nanowires. We propose that the higher surface energy of the CoS2 nanowire and the lattice mismatch between 1D and 2D units are crucial for the growth process of ReS2 nanosheets. More importantly, the terminal S2– exposed on the surface of CoS2 nanowires serves not only as the nucleus of ReS2 nanosheets but also as a bridge to enhance electron transport efficiency. Thus, the ReS2/CoS2 heterostructures show outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction performance. This work is of general interest for the design of complex multidimensional nano-heterostructures with outstanding functionalities.