Core-shell Mo2C@NC/Mo2C hollow microspheres as highly efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction
Xuefei Zhang1,2, Tao Lei1, Miao Xia1
1Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials and Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Inorganic Oxygenated Materials, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350016, China. qhwei76@fzu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Developing low-cost and highly efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has stimulated extensive interest. Molybdenum carbide materials have been proposed as promising alternatives to noble platinum-based catalysts due to their earth abundance and tunable physicochemical characteristics. Here, we report Mo2C@NC/Mo2C hollow microspheres composed of a β-Mo2C core and small β-Mo2C particles embedded within a nitrogen-doped carbon shell and prepared using guanosine and hexaammonium molybdate as precursors via a hydrothermal self-assembly process, which results in outstanding catalytic activity and fast kinetics in hydrogen evolution in both acidic and alkaline solutions. The significant activity improvement of Mo2C@NC/Mo2C can be attributed to the large ratio of exposed active sites and abundant interfacial structures. This work provides a new template-free strategy for the design of a highly active Mo2C@NC/Mo2C hollow microsphere HER catalyst.
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