Ultralow Pt Loaded Molybdenum Dioxide/Carbon Nanotubes for Highly Efficient and Durable Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the most promising ways to low-cost hydrogen production in the future. However, it is still a challenge to develop efficient, durable, and affordable catalysts. In this paper, we choose ultrasmall Pt nanoclusters, metallic MoO 2 semiconductor, and conductive material with ultralow Pt loadings as an active and durable catalyst for HER in acid media. The obtained 0.5 wt % Pt–MoO 2 /MWCNTs catalyst with ultralow Pt loadings exhibits high-efficiency electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability. Benefiting from the space confinement effect and good electric conductivity of metallic MoO 2 and MWCNTs, the HER activity of as-made 0.5 wt % Pt–MoO 2 /MWCNTs catalyst is comparable to that of commercial 20 wt % Pt/C catalyst. Remarkably, the strong interaction between metallic Pt and MoO 2 support can prevent the aggregation of Pt species; the 0.5 wt % Pt–MoO 2 /MWCNTs sample shows better stability than 0.5 wt % Pt–MWCNTs and commercial 20 wt % Pt/C. Consequently, highly catalytic activity and long-term stability toward HER have been achieved for the composite catalyst with only 0.5 wt % Pt loading. Our work opens up a new track to explore high-efficiency catalysts without heavy consumption of noble metal Pt, while maintaining the superior catalytic activity and durability.