Thermally annealing mixtures of MoS2 and red phosphorus from 1:0.5 to 1:8 w:w ratio at 750 °C for 1 h under argon/hydrogen leads to the formation of a MoS2(1−x)Px solid solution (x = 0 to 1). At x = 0.53, the solid solution possesses one of the highest hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activities of non-precious-metal-based electrocatalysts. The effective and stable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution in acidic solution developed here holds promise for substitution of scarce and expensive platinum. The high performance originates from the increased surface area and roughness of the solid solution, as well as the activation of the previously non-active sites as suggested by first–principles calculations. The enhanced HER activity via formation of a hetero-anion solid solution may open a new avenue for improving performance of HER and related electrocatalysts.
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