Self-supported nickel-doped molybdenum carbide nanoflower clusters on carbon fiber paper for an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction

Abstract

Developing an efficient, stable and low-cost noble-metal-free electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an effective way to alleviate the energy crisis. Herein, we report a simple and facile approach to synthesize self-supported Ni-doped Mo₂C via a molten salt method. By optimizing the content of Ni, the concentration of Ni(NO₃)₂, and the annealing time, self-supported nanoflower-like electrocatalysts composed of ultrathin nanosheets on carbon fiber paper (CFP) can be achieved. Such a fluffy and porous nanoflower-like structure has a large specific surface area, which can expose many active sites, and promote charge transfer; moreover, all of the above is beneficial for improving the HER performance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the doping of Ni leads to a down shift of the value of the d band center (ε_d), so that the adsorbed hydrogen (H_ads) is easier to desorb from the catalyst surface, thus leading to an enhanced intrinsic catalytic activity of Ni doped Mo₂C based catalysts. As a result, Mo₂C-3 M Ni(NO₃)₂/CFP with a nanoflower-like structure prepared at 1000 °C for 6 h exhibits the best electrocatalytic performance for the HER in 0.5 M H₂SO₄, with a low overpotential of 56 mV (at j = 10 mA cm⁻²) and a Tafel slope (27.4 mV dec⁻¹) comparable to that of commercial Pt/C (25.8 mV dec⁻¹). The excellent performance surpasses most of the noble-metal-free electrocatalysts. In addition, the outstanding long-term durability of Mo₂C-3 M Ni(NO₃)₂/CFP is demonstrated by showing no obvious fluctuations during 35 h of the HER testing. This work provides a simple and facile strategy for the preparation of nanoelectrocatalysts with high specific surface areas and high catalytic activities, both of which promote an efficient HER.