Molybdenum carbide as alternative catalyst for hydrogen production – A review

Hydrogen energy has become an important research area worldwide for environmental-friendly and sustainable energy development. A large number of studies can be found in the literature regarding the development of novel functional catalysts for hydrogen production from various reactions such as hydrocarbon reforming, water gas shift reaction, and water decomposition reaction. Due to the unique surface and electronic properties of molybdenum carbide, it has been attracted more and more attentions as a potential catalyst. This article reviews the latest research progress on the molybdenum carbide catalyst for hydrogen production. Two main parts are included in this review: preparation of molybdenum carbide and application of it in hydrogen production technology. In the first part, various molybdenum carbide preparation methods and the strategies to modify the physicochemical properties of molybdenum carbide are described. It is concluded that solid-solid reaction method could provide high surface area and the synthesis process is relatively easy and safe. Furthermore, the addition of second metal could increase molybdenum carbide surface area and adjust catalyst surface electronic condition. In the second part, the applications of molybdenum carbide based catalysts for various reactions for hydrogen production are described. The catalytic activity, stability, and deactivation and reaction mechanism over molybdenum carbide catalyst are critically reviewed and discussed. It indicates that molybdenum carbide should be an alternative catalyst with high efficiency for hydrogen production.