Co, Mo2C encapsulated in N-doped carbon nanofiber as self-supported electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

The design and fabrication of high performance noble metal free electrocatalysts with controlled structure and composition remains a great challenge for efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, self-supported Co, Mo2C-carbon nanofiber (CNF) mats constituted by Co and Mo2C nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped CNF are synthesized via a simple electrospinning technology with a subsequent carbonization process. The self-supported structure and the synergistic effect between Co and Mo2C can facilitate the electron transfer, enlarge the exposed active site and tune the electronic structure of the active sites, resulting in the enhanced HER performance in alkaline and neutral medium. As a result, the optimized catalysts need relatively small overpotential of 128 and 206 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline and neutral medium, respectively. Moreover, the Co, Mo2C-CNF also exhibits small Tafel slope and long-term stability, demonstrating potential as high-performance HER electrocatalyst. This facile, rapid and cost-efficiency method provides a novel choice to synthesize self-supported high-performance HER electrocatalysts.