Hierarchical Nanostructured Co-Mo-B/CoMoO_4- Amorphous Composite for the Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Transition metal borides (TMBs) show promise for electrocatalysis but are underexplored.
• Synthesizing complex nanostructured TMBs with tunable properties remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile method for fabricating nanostructured TMBs for water splitting.
• To investigate the electrocatalytic activity of a novel Co-Mo-B/CoMoO4- composite for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER).

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of a CoMoO4 precursor on cobalt foam.
• Annealing and sodium borohydride (NaBH4) reduction treatments.
• Characterization of the composite's structure and electrochemical performance.

Main Results:

• A hierarchical nanostructured Co-Mo-B/CoMoO4- composite was successfully synthesized.
• The composite exhibited enhanced HER activity in alkaline electrolyte due to synergistic effects and abundant active sites.
• The catalyst demonstrated high stability, maintaining performance over 100 hours.

Conclusions:

• The facile synthesis method yields a highly active and stable electrocatalyst for alkaline HER.
• The Co-Mo-B/CoMoO4-/CF catalyst outperforms most reported TMB electrocatalysts.
• This work advances TMB applications in electrocatalytic water splitting.