Molybdenum carbide supported by N-doped carbon: Controlled synthesis and application in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

• The biomass-derived sources are used to fabricate well-defined MoCx/CN.
• Superior electrochemical HER performances are presented on MoCx/CN nanocomposites.
• N-doping controlled by synthesis is important for achieving efficient MoCx/CN.

Exploring noble-metal free electrocatalysts remains a great challenge for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we report the fabrication of molybdenum carbides supported by N-doped carbon (MoCx/CN), employing glucose and melamine as precursors to generate conducting supports. The nanosized MoCx, and its intimate contact with CN, favor the efficient HER. The optimal MoCx/CN delivers an overpotential (η) of 220 mV to produce a current density (j) of 10 mA cm−2, and a high j of 72 mA cm−2 at η=300 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4.

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