Enhanced hydrogen evolution from the MoP/C hybrid by the modification of Ketjen Black

Abstract

It is still a great challenge to find highly efficient non-Pt catalysts with good stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The molybdenum phosphide (MoP)-based catalysts have been identified as promising candidates to replace noble Pt, but the further improvement of these catalysts is still strongly demanded. Herein, a simple strategy to enhance the HER activity of the MoP catalyst has been proposed, in which a novel MoP/C hybrid is prepared by a facile temperature-programmed reduction method with the modification of Ketjen Black, exhibiting superior HER activity with a smaller Tafel slope of 54 mV dec−1 and a larger current density of 151 mA cm−2 at −400 mV, about 34 times larger than that of the pure MoP catalyst. Moreover, a possible improvement mechanism was also stated.