Photonic Flash Synthesis of Mo₂C/Graphene Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Nowadays, molybdenum carbides (Mo 2 C) represent alternative electrocatalysts to noble metal for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a fast and simple process is proposed for the fabrication of Mo 2 C-based electrocatalysts on a carbon cloth substrate by photonic flash synthesis (PFS) from MoO 3 /graphene precursor under an ambient atmosphere. SEM, XRD, and XPS results demonstrated the successful thermal decomposition of molybdenum oxides into a porous nanostructure of β-Mo 2 C after exposing the precursor material to a 575 V lamp flash for four successive pulses. As a result, the as-prepared Mo 2 C@575 V-4p demonstrates a Tafel slope of 63 mV·dec –1 and a low overpotential of ∼160 and ∼230 mV to drive 10 and 50 mA·cm –2 in acidic media, respectively. Furthermore, high catalytic stability was observed, validating further the strategy for efficient and reliable catalytic material preparation.