Novel Amorphous Molybdenum Selenide as an Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Temperature-programmed Deoxygenation of Acetic Acid on Molybdenum Carbide Catalysts
Published on: February 7, 2017
Quyen T Nguyen, Phuc D Nguyen, Duc N Nguyen
1Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials , Tohoku University , Sendai 980-8577 , Japan.
Abstract:
Amorphous molybdenum selenide nanopowder, obtained by refluxing Mo(CO)6 and Se precursors in dichlorobenzene, shows several structural and electrochemical similarities to the amorphous molybdenum sulfide analogue. The molybdenum selenide displays attractive catalytic properties for the hydrogen evolution reaction in water over a wide range of pH. In a pH 0 solution, it operates with a small onset overpotential of 125 mV and requires an overpotential of 270 mV for generating a catalytic current of 10 mA/cm2. Compared with molybdenum sulfide, the selenide analogue is more robust in a basic electrolyte. Therefore, molybdenum selenide is a potential candidate for incorporating within an electrolyzer or a photoelectrochemical cell for water electrolysis in acidic, neutral, or alkaline medium.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Evidence for Evolution
Convergent Evolution
Hydrogen Bonds
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
Hydrogen Bonds
Acids, Bases and Neutralization Reactions
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...

