Designing Hierarchical Porous Amorphous MoC_x Nanoflowers for Efficient Electrocatalysis

Transition metal carbides (TMCs) have emerged as highly promising candidates for catalytic applications. However, achieving synergistic modulation of their crystalline phase and hierarchical pore structure─a critical factor for stabilizing active sites and enhancing catalytic activity─remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we develop a self-sacrificial template strategy for synthesizing nanoflower-like amorphous molybdenum carbide (NF a-MoC_x) with a controlled architecture. This approach enables the creation of a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure that enlarges the surface area while establishing a favorable reaction microenvironment for efficient mass transport. As a proof of concept, the amorphous structure of NF a-MoC_x serves as an ideal support to achieve effective regulation of the particle size and uniform dispersion of Pt nanoparticles (2 nm), resulting in a power density of 117.67 mW cm^-2 in Zn-air energy devices.