Interfacial Engineering of a MoO₂-CeF₃ Heterostructure as a High-Performance Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalyst in...

Exploring an efficient and pollution-free hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst based on the combination of rare-earth metal and nonnoble metal is of significant importance. However, successfully achieving such a goal remains highly challenging. Herein, a nanosheet comprising a MoO₂-CeF₃ heterojunction (MoO₂-CeF₃/NF) is successfully prepared via a three-step method. (1) Growth of hexahedral nickel hydroxide [Ni(OH)₂] on a 3D nickel foam (NF) as the scaffold. (2) In situ hydrothermal growth of a precursor nanosheet structure on the scaffold. (3) Calcination treatment at 450 °C in the presence of hydrogen. Herein, the electron redistribution at the heterointerface of CeF₃ and MoO₂ is a contributing factor toward enhanced HER activity. Appropriate introduction of CeF₃ can enlarge the size of nanosheets, increase numerous active sites, increase the catalytic durability of the material, and change electron distribution on the MoO₂ interface; all of the above improve HER activity. Because of its interfacial nanosheet structure, MoO₂-CeF₃/NF demonstrates pre-eminent HER capability in both alkaline (1.0 M KOH) and acidic (0.5 M H₂SO₄) electrolytes, with extremely small overpotentials of 18 and 42 mV at 10 mA cm^-2, respectively. This is obviously lower than the overpotential of Pt/C in alkaline media (27 mV), and it is also close to the overpotential of Pt/C in acidic media (41 mV), at the same current density_. More importantly, MoO₂-CeF₃/NF displays a better HER activity than Pt/C at a current density of >112 mA cm^-2 in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes. This work offers a novel strategy toward high-performance hydrogen production by designing a transition metal oxide and rare-earth metal heterojunction.