Project description
Twisting 2D materials to boost water splitting efficiency
A wide range of strategies has been explored to tune the electrochemical properties of materials for hydrogen production, including nanostructuring, defect engineering, phase control and strain engineering. A promising additional strategy is to rotate layers of common 2D materials such as molybdenum disulfide, creating atomic patterns known as moiré superlattices. Twisting can modify interlayer coupling, local strain and electronic structure, potentially enhancing catalytic activity. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Twist-H2 project will systematically determine how the twist angle affects the hydrogen evolution reaction and assess electrode stability over time. The project will subsequently explore routes towards scalable, large-area electrodes. Its results could establish new design principles for earth-abundant electrocatalysts and contribute to more sustainable and cost-effective hydrogen production technologies.
Objective
One of the current bottlenecks in green hydrogen production via water electrolysis is that the most efficient electrodes are typically made from scarce and expensive noble-metals. Twist-H2 aims to overcome this limitation using earth-abundant electrodes based on 2D materials. In this action, the performance of 2D electrodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) will be tuned by the controlled interlayer twisting between their layers. The concepts of twisting and moiré superlattices remain largely unexplored for catalysis applications.
This project focuses on MoS2, in which the twist angle tailors interlayer coupling, local strain and electronic structure, which are properties that can boost the HER. Early reports suggest that twisting can strongly improve the HER activity in transition metal dichalcogenides electrodes, but so far, research has covered a few synthesis-limited angles, lacking a systematic investigation on how the angle can enhance the HER, and rarely addressing stability or scalability.
Twist-H2 sets two goals: (SO1) map how HER activity depends on the twist angle of homobilayer MoS2; and (SO2) test the stability and scale-up routes towards a practical application. This approach combines deterministic fabrication by mechanical exfoliation, allowing accurate control of the twist-angle, with in-operando electrochemical, optical and structural characterization, followed by a translation to larger-area electrodes.
The results from this work will provide new insights into the design of electrocatalysts through moiré engineering, with potential impact not only on MoS2 electrodes for hydrogen production, but also on a broader range of 2D materials and other interesting catalytic reactions, such as oxygen evolution, CO2 reduction or ammonia production.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis electrocatalysis
- natural sciences chemical sciences electrochemistry electrolysis
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials two-dimensional nanostructures
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy hydrogen energy
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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28006 Madrid
Spain
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