N-doped Ru/Mo2C-based electrocatalyst for outstanding and durable hydrogen evolution reaction with universal pH

Abstract

The fabrication of Pt-free electrocatalysts with outstanding activity is crucial for reducing the overpotential of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and advancing the next generation of energy technologies. This study introduced a scalable one-pot pyrolysis approach for fabricating N-doped Ru/Mo2C (MCNRx) for HER. The MCNR1 catalyst offered several advantages for electrocatalytic applications and beyond. The N-doped Ru/Mo2C prevented the agglomeration of Mo2C nanomaterials and improved their electronic conductivity. Moreover, the Ru metal was uniformly distributed, providing a large number of active catalytic sites, and the enhanced crystallinity and conductive surfaces generated from the trimesic acid create mass electron migration and facilitate the presence of active centers. The MCNR1 electrocatalyst, designed with the abovementioned advantages, had exceptional performance for HER across a broad pH range. For instance, it achieved a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with an overpotential of 35 mV in 1.0 M KOH, 44 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4, and 196 mV in 1.0 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Furthermore, the electrocatalyst had exceptional long-term stability across all pH levels compared to Pt/C. The synthetic approach devised in this study can be employed for various cost-effective replacements for Pt-based electrocatalysts for HER.