Boosting P-CoMoO₃/MoO₂ hydrogen evolution via water molecule dissociation by MoO₂ and H₂ desorption by CoMoO₃

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is crucial for sustainable energy production.
• Developing efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts is essential for HER.
• Heterostructure catalysts offer unique properties for enhanced catalytic activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the HER performance of a P-CoMoO3/MoO2 heterostructure catalyst.
• To elucidate the roles of individual components in the heterostructure for HER.
• To provide insights into designing advanced heterojunction catalysts for HER.

Main Methods:

• Experimental synthesis and characterization of the P-CoMoO3/MoO2 heterostructure.
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate HER performance.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to understand reaction mechanisms.

Main Results:

• The P-CoMoO3/MoO2 heterostructure demonstrated excellent HER performance.
• Experimental and DFT results confirmed MoO2 promotes water dissociation.
• CoMoO3 was found to favor hydrogen desorption.

Conclusions:

• The P-CoMoO3/MoO2 heterostructure is a promising catalyst for HER.
• The synergistic effect between MoO2 and CoMoO3 enhances catalytic activity.
• This study offers a new strategy for designing efficient heterojunction HER catalysts.