Surface Modulation of Fe3O4 Confined in Porous Molybdenum-Based Nanoplatform for Enhanced Hydrogen Production

The integration of different precursor components to form single nanostructures via one-step synthesis process is mostly restricted by the compatibility and complexity of components. Herein, a highly uniform, spherical, hollowed, and hierarchical iron oxide-wrapped Mo-polydopamine is synthesized using a one-pot liquid-phase reaction at room temperature. Mo2C is doped with Fe3O4 to harness the rich electrons in Fe dopants for effective lowering of the unoccupied d-orbitals in Mo. The surface conductivity of the as-prepared nanostructures is enhanced by decorating them with gold nanoparticles utilizing strong interaction of Au and amine. The nanocomposites are converted into carbidic hollowed structures via an annealing process without any distortion in morphology. The well-organized structure and nanosize of the particles provide efficient catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic media. MoFe-C@Au exhibits a very positive onset potential of 2 mV, low Tafel slope of 50.1 mV dec(-1), and remarkable long-term stability.

Automated summary

In this study, highly uniform, spherical, hollowed, and hierarchical iron oxide-wrapped Mo-polydopamine nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a one-pot liquid-phase reaction at room temperature. The surface conductivity of the nanostructures was enhanced by decorating them with gold nanoparticles, and they were converted into carbidic hollowed structures through an annealing process. MoFe-C@Au exhibited excellent catalytic performance and long-term stability.