Optimizing Energy Solutions: Mott–Schottky Engineered 1D/3D CoWO₄(OH)₂·H₂O/MoS₂ Heterostructure for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion Application

Heterostructure engineering offers a powerful approach to creating innovative electrocatalysts. By combining different materials, it can achieve synergistic effects that enhance both charge storage and electrocatalytic activity. In this work, it is capitalized on this concept by designing a 1D/3D CoWO₄(OH)₂·H₂O/molybdenum disulfide (CTH/MoS₂) heterostructure. It is achieved this by in situ depositing 3D MoS₂ nanoflowers on 1D CTH nanorods. To explore the impact of precursor choice, various sulfur (S) sources is investigated. Interestingly, the S precursor influenced the dimensionality of the MoS₂ component. For example, L-cysteine (L-cys), and glutathione (GSH) resulted in 0D morphologies, thiourea (TU) led to a 2D structure, and thioacetamide (TAA) yielded a desirable 3D architecture. Notably, the 1D/3D CTH/MoS₂-TAA heterostructure exhibited exceptional performance in both supercapacitors (SCs) and quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). This achievement can be attributed to several factors: the synergetic effect between 1D CTH and 3D MoS₂, improved accessibility due to the multi-dimensional structure, and a tailored electronic structure facilitated by the Mott-Schottky (M-S) interaction arising from the different material Fermi levels. This interaction further enhances conductivity, ultimately leading to the observed high specific capacity in SCs (154.44 mAh g^-1 at 3 mA cm^-2) and remarkable photovoltaic efficiency in QDSSCs (6.48%).