Ni modified ultrafine MoxC (x = 1, 2) wrapped by nitrogen-doped carbon for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction in acid and alkaline electrolytes

Abstract

Hydrogen production is of significance in solving urgent energy and environmental issues, so it is necessary to develop superior electrocatalysts to catalyze the sustainable hydrogen evolution process efficiently. This study reports the synthesis of the Ni modified ultrafine MoxC (x = 1, 2) wrapped by nitrogen-doped carbon through a facile one-pot strategy, which can be applied for catalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in both acid and alkaline conditions. Benefiting from the regulating effect of Ni towards MoxC (x = 1, 2) and the synergistic mechanism among Ni, Mo2C and MoC, Ni/MoxC-NC exhibits superior electrocatalytic activity, displaying a low overpotential of 141 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 110 mV in 1 M KOH at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for HER, as well as long-term durability for 20 h.