Electrochemical activated molybdenum oxides based multiphase heterostructures with high hydrogen evolution activity...

Electrochemical activation is an effective method for synthesizing economically feasible heterogeneous hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts. Herein, we first synthesized MoO₂-Co₂Mo₃O₈precatalyst, which was electrochemically activated to produce K₂Mo₃O₁₀within the original phase to form the heterogeneous structure. The electrochemically activated samples demonstrate exceptional HER activity in alkaline medium, which exhibit a low overpotential of 31 mV at current density of 10 mA cm^-2(135 mV at 100 mA cm^-2), as well as a small Tafel slope of 34 mV dec^-1. This is due to the creation of multiphase heterostructures that prompt interfacial interactions and accelerate charge transfer. Simultaneously, the creation of additional active sites increases their intrinsic activities. The combined effects collectively enhance the HER performance. The application of this method in the preparation of HER catalysts is still relatively unexplored, thus rendering our work a pioneering contribution to the field.