Molten Electrolyte-Modulated Electrosynthesis of Multi-Anion Mo-Based Lamellar Nanohybrids Derived from Natural...

The multi-anion molybdenum-based nanohybrids, N-doped β-Mo₂C/MoP/MoO (denoted as MoCPO), serving as a highly efficient catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), are fabricated via a simple and scalable electrosynthesis in molten NaCl-KCl, which integrates pyrolysis/electroreduction/compounding into a one-pot strategy using polyphosphazenes (PPAs) and earth-abundant molybdenite (mainly MoS₂) as precursors. The deliberately selected PPA and molten electrolyte ensure the unique lamellar nanostructures and the blending of multiple anions of C, N, P, and O in the obtained catalyst, specifically, triggering the in situ formation of the structural oxygen vacancies (V_O) in MoCPO. The nature of the hybrids can be regulated by adjusting the synthesis condition. The optimized hybrid displays a low overpotential of 99.2 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 for HER in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and stays active over a broad pH range. The theoretical calculations reveal that V_O in the hybrids serves as favorable active sites, thus contributing to the superior HER activity. Moreover, MoCPO is also effective for overall water splitting as a bifunctional catalyst.