Mo2C/Reduced‐Graphene‐Oxide Nanocomposite: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

A highly active, stable and inexpensive electrocatalyst, nanosized-Mo2C/reduced-graphene-oxide (nanoMo2C/RGO), is developed for the hydrogen evolution reaction, which is of vital importance for environment concerns and the energy crisis. The nanocomposite catalyst is synthesized by a novel strategy through the facile calcination of a pre-prepared organic–inorganic hybrid MoOx–amine precursor of sub-nanosized periodic structure. The intercalation of the amine in the organic–inorganic precursor leads to the synchronous reduction of MoOx–amine to Mo2C and GO to RGO in an inert atmosphere, and thus nano-Mo2C/RGO is facilely synthesized with highly monodisperse Mo2C nanoparticles (3–5 nm) as well as the reduced graphene. The remarkable structures and features are demonstrated to be the determinants for accelerating the interfacial electrocatalytic reaction with low charge-transfer resistance and high interfacial capacitance. This study should provide a new perspective on the development of efficient noble-metal-free electrocatalysts in the fields of energy conversion and storage.