Modulating electrodeposition of ultralow Pt into 2D MoCu-POMOF-derived MoO2/MoOC for boosted hydrogen evolution reaction

Electrochemical water splitting is regarded as a promising technology for production of high purity, high volume hydrogen. It is critical to create robust and highly active electrocatalysts in order to minimize the cost of hydrogen generation and enable large-scale commercial production. In this work, a new 2D MoCu-POMOF, [Cu(4-pyz)]4@(PMo12O40) (4-pyz = 4-(pyr-idin-4-yl)benzoic acid) was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method, in which PMo12 nanocluster was encapsulated into cavity of 2D Cu-MOF. The successful establishment of the model in addition to the goal of uniformly dispersed Mo sources target oxygen-rich PMo12 nanoclusters can also provide rich Mo source and self-oxidative properties for MoO2 for-mation. Cu-MOF provides a special layered structure, which ensures the integrity and sta-bility of the structure and provides a rich C source for pyrolysis and improves the conductivity. Ultralow Pt nanoparticles can reduce free energy of hydrogen evolution, which are embedded in MoO2/MoOC with porous structure and high electrochemical active surface area. MoO2/MoOC and highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles synergistically promote the HER catalysis. Pt@MoO2/MoOC demonstrated the excellent HER activity with a low overpotential of 98.99 mV vs. RHE. This work yielded highly active and high stability molybdenum-based HER electrocatalysis and provides the potential for energy conversion.(c) 2023 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.