Highly Dispersed Mo₂C Anchored on N,P-Codoped Graphene as Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Uniformly dispersed Mo₂C were anchored on N, P-codoped graphene (Mo₂C-N,P-rGO) by a facile method, during which phytic acid was employed as cross-linker to bridge the polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified graphene oxide (PEI-GO) and Mo ions through electrostatic adsorption and coordination bonding. Thanks to this ingenious strategy, the aggregation of Mo₂C that usually occurs at high calcination temperature was effectively suppressed. This well-defined nanohybrid exhibits an excellent activity and high stability in hydrogen evolution reactions both in acidic and basic media due to the synergistic effects of the heteroatoms doped, accessibility of active sites, and conductivity of the two-dimensional (2D) structure. The obtained Mo₂C-N,P-rGO requires only small overpotentials of 71 and 95 mV to drive 10 mA cm⁻² in alkaline and acidic solution, respectively. Benefiting from the protective effect of the coated carbon layers on the Mo₂C surface, no obvious degradation was detected after 20 h of operation. This facile strategy may provide new opportunities for the precise design of functional 2D materials with unique properties.