Two-Dimensional Sandwich-Structured Mesoporous Mo2C/Carbon/Graphene Nanohybrids for Efficient Hydrogen Production Electrocatalysts

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The main challenge in water electrolysis, an appealing technique to alleviate future energy crisis, is the design of efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). On the basis of an interface self-assembly approach, we synthesize mesoporous nitrogen-doped carbon/Mo2C/reduced graphene oxide nanohybrids (denoted as mNC-Mo2C@rGO), which represent a new type of two-dimensional Mo2C/carbon hybrid nanomaterials and possess a sandwichlike structure with well-defined mesopores. The method involves the co-self-assembly of spherical micelles formed from polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide), pyrrole (Py) monomers, and molybdate ions (Mo7O24 6-) on GO surfaces in aqueous solution, followed by polymerization of Py and calcination of the nanocomposites at 900 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. The resultant mNC-Mo2C@rGO nanosheets possess high N contents, large specific surface areas (SSAs), and 4 nm Mo2C particles well-distributed in the mesoporous carbon matrix. The Mo2C content is controllable in the range of 18.4-42.4 wt % by adjusting the feed amount of Mo7O24 6-. In particular, mNC-Mo2C@rGO with an SSA of 344 m2/g and a Mo2C content of ca. 28 wt % exhibits the highest HER catalytic activity in 1 M KOH electrolyte, with a 95 mV overpotential at 10 mA/cm2, a Tafel slope of 49.8 mV/dec, and a long-term stability of 60 h at 20 mA/cm2. This study blazes a trail for the synthesis of new functional nanomaterials with potential applications as efficient HER electrocatalysts.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)40800-40807
Number of pages8
JournalACS applied materials & interfaces
Volume10
Issue number47
Publication statusPublished - 28 Nov 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85056907189
PubMed 30379520

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • hydrogen evolution reaction, mesoporous, molybdenum carbide, self-assembly, two-dimensional