Molybdenum carbide (MoC/Mo2C), due to its unique noble‐like metallic electronic structure, high conductivity, and abundant surface‐active sites, exhibits promising catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The directional and… Click to show full abstract
Molybdenum carbide (MoC/Mo2C), due to its unique noble‐like metallic electronic structure, high conductivity, and abundant surface‐active sites, exhibits promising catalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The directional and controllable synthesis of molybdenum carbide with specific phase composition is crucial for enhancing catalytic performance. This study employs a green and clean electrochemical method to achieve one‐step controllable synthesis of a dual‐phase MoC–Mo2C in molten salt. The electrolytic mechanism analysis reveals that MoO3 reacts with molten salt components to form soluble molybdate. Subsequently, CO32− and MoO42− as the electroactive ions are co‐reduced, and then molybdenum carbide is in situ formatted at the cathode. By controlling the electrolysis temperature, the phase composition and morphology of molybdenum carbide are effectively regulated, yielding a feather‐like dual‐phase MoC–Mo2C catalyst. In a 1.0 M KOH solution, the dual‐phase MoC–Mo2C catalyst exhibits a superior HER activity. The low overpotential is only 118 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for HER. Furthermore, it exhibits excellent stability, with only a 34 mV overpotential increase at 10 mA cm−2 after 30 h. This study provides a novel strategy for the clean and resource‐efficient utilization of CO2 to synthesize molybdenum carbide catalysts for high performance.
               
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