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Electron-transfer enhanced MoO2-Ni heterostructures as a highly efficient pH-universal catalyst for hydrogen evolution

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Abstract

Hydrogen is one of the most promising energy carriers to replace fossil fuels and electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen is a very effective method. However, designing highly active and stable non-precious metal hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts that can be used in universal pH is a huge challenge. Here, we have reported a simple strategy to develop a highly active and durable non-precious MoO2-Ni electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in a wide pH range. The MoO2-Ni catalyst exhibits a superior electrocatalytic performance with low overpotentials of 46, 69, and 84 mV to reach -10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH, 0.5 M H2SO4, and 1.0 M PBS electrolytes, respectively. At the same time, the catalyst also shows outstanding stability over a wide pH range. It is particularly noted that the catalytic performance of MoO2-Ni in alkaline solution is comparable to the highest performing catalysts reported. The outstanding HER performance is mainly attributed to the collective effect of the rational morphological design, electronic structure engineering, and strong interfacial coupling between MoO2 and Ni in heterojunctions. This work provides a viable method for the synthesis of inexpensive and efficient HER electrocatalysts for the use in wide pH ranges.

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Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21965005), Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province (2018GXNSFAA294077 and 2018GXNSFAA281220), Project of High-Level Talents of Guangxi (F-KA18015 and 2018ZD004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China

    Benzhi Wang, Hexiu Huang, Meilin Huang, Puxuan Yan & Xiulin Yang

  2. Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

    Tayirjan Taylor Isimjan

Authors
  1. Benzhi Wang
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  2. Hexiu Huang
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  3. Meilin Huang
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  4. Puxuan Yan
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  5. Tayirjan Taylor Isimjan
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  6. Xiulin Yang
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Correspondence to Tayirjan Taylor Isimjan or Xiulin Yang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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The supporting information is available online at http://chem.scichina.com and http://link.springer.com/journal/11426. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

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Wang, B., Huang, H., Huang, M. et al. Electron-transfer enhanced MoO2-Ni heterostructures as a highly efficient pH-universal catalyst for hydrogen evolution. Sci. China Chem. 63, 841–849 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-019-9721-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-019-9721-0

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