Strong Interactions between the Nanointerfaces of Silica-Supported Mo₂C/MoP Heterojunction Promote Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Hydrogen is one of the cleanest forms of energy carrier which can solve the twin problem of exhaustion of fossil fuels and climate change. The exploration of low-cost and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for hydrogen generation process is an emerging area of research. Profound catalyst tailoring with mutually contrast phases on a porous support for crafting large hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) active sites increases the catalytic activity in many folds. Herein, a porous silica-supported molybdenum phosphide and molybdenum carbide nanoparticle (SiMoCP) has been synthesized. The intermingled porous molybdenum carbide and molybdenum phosphide nanohybrid shows excellent catalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution. Such a modified nanostructured electrocatalyst enhances the electrode–electrolyte interaction and suppresses the charge transfer resistance. As a result, the electrocatalyst (SiMoCP) accomplishes very high HER activity with an onset potential of 53 mV and an overpotential of 88 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm–2 in the acidic medium. Furthermore, the SiMoCP catalyst showed a Tafel slope value of 37 mV dec–1 with long-term durability of 5000 cycles.