Novel Amorphous Molybdenum Selenide as an Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Amorphous molybdenum sulfide is a known catalyst for hydrogen evolution.
• Developing efficient and robust electrocatalysts for water splitting is crucial for sustainable energy production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize amorphous molybdenum selenide nanopowder.
• To evaluate its catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water over a wide pH range.
• To compare its stability and performance with amorphous molybdenum sulfide.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of amorphous molybdenum selenide via refluxing molybdenum hexacarbonyl and selenium precursors in dichlorobenzene.
• Electrochemical characterization of the synthesized nanopowder to assess HER activity.
• Evaluation of catalytic performance at different pH values (acidic, neutral, alkaline).

Main Results:

• Amorphous molybdenum selenide nanopowder demonstrated significant catalytic activity for HER.
• The material exhibited a low onset overpotential (125 mV) and required 270 mV for 10 mA/cm² current density in pH 0 solution.
• The selenide analogue showed enhanced stability in basic electrolytes compared to its sulfide counterpart.

Conclusions:

• Amorphous molybdenum selenide is a promising electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction.
• Its robustness in alkaline media makes it suitable for integration into electrolyzers and photoelectrochemical cells for water electrolysis.
• This material offers a potential alternative for efficient hydrogen production across diverse pH conditions.