Hierarchical β-Mo2C Nanotubes Organized by Ultrathin Nanosheets as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Production

Production of hydrogen by electrochemical water splitting has been hindered by the high cost of precious metal catalysts, such as Pt, for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this work, novel hierarchical beta-Mo2C nanotubes constructed from porous nanosheets have been fabricated and investigated as a high-performance and low-cost electrocatalyst for HER. An unusual template-engaged strategy has been utilized to controllably synthesize Mo-polydopamine nanotubes, which are further converted into hierarchical beta-Mo2C nanotubes by direct carburization at high temperature. Benefitting from several structural advantages including ultrafine primary nanocrystallites, large exposed surface, fast charge transfer, and unique tubular structure, the as-prepared hierarchical beta-Mo2C nanotubes exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance for HER with small overpotential in both acidic and basic conditions, as well as remarkable stability.