Metal‐Organic Precursor–Derived Mesoporous Carbon Spheres with Homogeneously Distributed Molybdenum Carbide/Nitride Nanoparticles for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution in Alkaline Media

Abstract

AbstractThe generation of hydrogen through water electrolysis is considered as a sustainable approach for future fuel production. Molybdenum (Mo)‐based compounds are reported as highly active and inexpensive alternatives to platinum‐based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Currently, the major challenge for Mo‐based HER electrocatalysts lies in establishing new concepts of micro‐/nanostructure design to enhance the hydrogen evolution kinetics and realizing facile, large‐scale, and green fabrication processes. Here, a fast, scalable, and eco‐friendly metal‐organic coordination precursor–assisted strategy is reported for synthesizing novel hierarchically mesoporous Mo‐based carbon electrocatalysts for efficient hydrogen production. Benefiting from homogeneously distributed Mo‐based nanocrystallites/heterojunctions and uniform mesopores, the Mo‐based mesoporous electrocatalyst shows high hydrogen evolution activity and stability with a low overpotential of 222 mV at 100 mA cm−2 (Pt/C: 263 mV), ranging among the best non‐noble metal HER catalysts in alkaline condition. Overall, the discovery of using dopamine–molybdate coordination precursor with silica nanoparticles will not only create a new pathway for controllable synthesis of diverse kinds of micro‐/nanostructured Mo‐based catalysts, but also take a step toward the fast and scale‐up production of advanced mesoporous carbon electrodes for a broad range of applications.