Photonic Flash Synthesis of Mo2C/Graphene Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Nowadays, molybdenum carbides (Mo2C) represent alternative electrocatalysts to noble metal for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a fast and simple process is proposed for the fabrication of Mo2C-based electrocatalysts on a carbon cloth substrate by photonic flash synthesis (PFS) from MoO3/graphene precursor under an ambient atmosphere. SEM, XRD, and XPS results demonstrated the successful thermal decomposition of molybdenum oxides into a porous nanostructure of beta-Mo2C after exposing the precursor material to a 575 V lamp flash for four successive pulses. As a result, the as-prepared Mo2C@575 V-4p demonstrates a Tafel slope of 63 mV.dec(-1) and a low overpotential of similar to 160 and similar to 230 mV to drive 10 and 50 mA.cm(-2) in acidic media, respectively. Furthermore, high catalytic stability was observed, validating further the strategy for efficient and reliable catalytic material preparation.

Automated summary

Molybdenum carbides (Mo2C) have been explored as alternative electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction. A fast and simple fabrication method for Mo2C-based electrocatalysts on a carbon cloth substrate was proposed using photonic flash synthesis (PFS). The resulting material showed excellent catalytic performance and stability in acidic media.