Controlled synthesis of Mo2C micron flowers via vapor-liquid-solid method as enhanced electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction.

Abstract

Mo2C demonstrates excellent performance in catalysis, and it has been found to possess excellent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity and highly efficient nitrogen fixation. The catalytic activity of Mo2C is greatly influenced and restricted by the preparation method. Sintering and carbon deposition, which affect the catalytic activity of Mo2C, are inevitable in the traditional vapor-solid-solid (VSS) process. In this study, we report the controllable synthesis of α-Mo2C micron flowers by adjusting the growth temperature via a vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process. The density of the Mo2C micron flowers is closely related to the concentration of Na2MoO4 aqueous solution. The as-grown Mo2C micron flowers dispersed with Pt are validated to be an enhanced collaborative electrocatalyst for HER against Pt/VSS-Mo2C.