Laser-Synthesis of Nanostructured Carbides Molybdenum Catalysts for HER/OER Reactions

Platinium doped materials are very efficient for electrocatalytic reaction and H₂ production. However, platinum being a scarce and expensive element, carbides and nitrides could be an interesting alternative to make this technology economically viable. Indeed, transition metal carbides and nitrides demonstrate very interesting electrocatalytic properties, close to those of noble metals.^1,2 In this context, molybdenum (Mo)-based electrocatalysts materials are very promising and are currently attracting a growing interest in the energy field.<br/>We report here the synthesis of molybdenum nitrides and carbides using the laser pyrolysis method for the overall water splitting reactions (hydrogen evolution reaction HER and oxygen evolution reaction OER)³. The laser pyrolysis process is a facile, scalable, environmental synthesis of small-sized, highly specific surfaces, well dispersed, and electrochemically accessible. The resulting Mo based materials were characterized with several complementary techniques (XRD, SBET measurement, SEM, etc.). We also demonstrate that these materials show some electrocatalytic activity for HER reaction.<br/><u>References</u><br/>1. Hargreaves, J. S. J. et al. Coord. Chem. Rev. 257, 2015-2031 (2013).<br/>2. Wang, H. et al. Chem. Soc. Rev. 50, 1354-1390 (2021).<br/>3. Caroff, T. et al. Nanomanufacturing 2, 112-123 (2022).