Rational Design of Atomic Layers of Pt Anchored on Mo2C Nanorods for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution over a Wide pH Range

Transition metal carbide compound has been extensively investigated as a catalyst for hydrogenation, for example, due to its noble metal-like properties. Herein a facile synthetic strategy is applied to control the thickness of atomic-layer Pt clusters strongly anchored on N-doped Mo2C nanorods (Pt/N-Mo2C) and it is found that the Pt atomic layers modify Mo2C function as a high-performance and robust catalyst for hydrogen evolution. The optimized 1.08 wt% Pt/N-Mo2C exhibits 25-fold, 10-fold, and 15-fold better mass activity than the benchmark 20 wt% Pt/C in neutral, acidic, and alkaline media, respectively. This catalyst also represents an extremely low overpotential of -8.3 mV at current density of 10 mA cm(-2), much better than the majority of reported electrocatalysts and even the commercial reference catalyst (20 wt%) Pt/C. Furthermore, it exhibits an outstanding long-term operational durability of 120 h. Theoretical calculation predicts that the ultrathin layer of Pt clusters on Mo-Mo2C yields the lowest absolute value of Delta G(H*). Experimental results demonstrate that the atomic layer of Pt clusters anchored on Mo2C substrate greatly enhances electron and mass transportation efficiency and structural stability. These findings could provide the foundation for developing highly effective and scalable hydrogen evolution catalysts.