A new promising Pt(Mo 2 C) catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction prepared by galvanic displacement reaction

A new method for the synthesis of Pt(Mo 2 C) catalysts using the redox reaction between Mo 2 C and solution containing potassium tetracholoplatinate (II) is proposed. The obtained catalyst samples are characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, and CV methods. As shown by microscopic studies, platinum nanoclusters are dispersed over the surface of carbide particles. The synthesized catalysts demonstrate a high catalytic activity towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 0.5 M sulphuric acid solution. Such activity is observed even at very low platinum loadings.