Atomic H-Induced Mo2C Hybrid as an Active and Stable Bifunctional Electrocatalyst

Xiujun Fan; Yuanyue Liu; Zhiwei Peng; Zhenhua Zhang; Haiqing Zhou; Xianming Zhang; Boris I Yakobson; William A Goddard 3rd; Xia Guo; Robert H Hauge; James M Tour

doi:10.1021/acsnano.6b06089

Atomic H-Induced Mo₂C Hybrid as an Active and Stable Bifunctional Electrocatalyst

ACS Nano. 2017 Jan 24;11(1):384-394. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.6b06089. Epub 2017 Jan 3.

Authors

Xiujun Fan¹, Yuanyue Liu, Zhiwei Peng, Zhenhua Zhang, Haiqing Zhou, Xianming Zhang¹, Boris I Yakobson¹, William A Goddard 3rd, Xia Guo, Robert H Hauge, James M Tour

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Crystalline Materials, Shanxi University , Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006, China.

PMID: 27989107
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.6b06089

Abstract

Mo₂C nanocrystals (NCs) anchored on vertically aligned graphene nanoribbons (VA-GNR) as hybrid nanoelectrocatalysts (Mo₂C-GNR) are synthesized through the direct carbonization of metallic Mo with atomic H treatment. The growth mechanism of Mo₂C NCs with atomic H treatment is discussed. The Mo₂C-GNR hybrid exhibits highly active and durable electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen-reduction reaction (ORR). For HER, in an acidic solution the Mo₂C-GNR has an onset potential of 39 mV and a Tafel slope of 65 mV dec^-1, and in a basic solution Mo₂C-GNR has an onset potential of 53 mV, and Tafel slope of 54 mV dec^-1. It is stable in both acidic and basic media. Mo₂C-GNR is a high-activity ORR catalyst with a high peak current density of 2.01 mA cm^-2, an onset potential of 0.93 V that is more positive vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), a high electron transfer number n (∼3.90), and long-term stability.

Keywords: Mo2C; atomic H; graphene nanoribbon; hydrogen-evolution reaction; oxygen-reduction reaction.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.