Abstract
Here we report a redox-anchoring strategy for synthesizing a non-noble metal carbide (MoCx ) nanocomposite electrocatalyst for water electrolysis in acidic media, using glucose and ammonium heptamolybdate as carbon and Mo precursors, respectively, without the need of gaseous carbon sources such as CH4 . Specifically, the aldehyde groups of glucose are capable of reducing Mo6+ to Mo4+ (MoO2 ), and thus molybdenum species can be well anchored by a redox reaction onto a carbon matrix to prevent the aggregation of MoCx nanoparticles during the following carbonization process. The morphology and chemical composition of the electrocatalysts were well characterized by BSE-SEM, TEM, XRD and XPS. The obtained MoCx -2 sample showed a reasonably high hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity and excellent stability in an acidic electrolyte, and its overpotential required for a current density output of 20 mA cm-2 is as low as 193 mV. Such a prominent performance is ascribed to the excellent dispersity and nano-size, and the large reactive surface area of MoCx particles. This work may open a new way to the design and fabrication of other non-noble metal carbide nanocatalysts for various electrochemical applications.
Published Version
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