Ultrafast synthesis of Mo2N with highly dispersed Ru for efficient alkaline hydrogen evolution

Mo2N has been identified as a highly promising carrier for electrocatalysis. However, its complex synthesis method, use of toxic gases, and serious effects on supported noble metals catalyst during high-temperature sintering processes have seriously affected its hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity and stability. Here, we report an efficient strategy for synthesizing Mo2N using the high temperature shock (HTS) method in just 1.67 s, while also uniformly loading Ru onto Mo2N nanosheets. The HTS enables the homogeneous dispersion of the precious metal Ru, leading to an increased electrocatalytic activity, along with a strong charge transfer between Mo2N and Ru. Ru/Mo2N exhibited an overpotential of 66 mV at 10 mA/cm2 in 1 mol/L KOH. In the evaluation of catalytic activity, Ru/Mo2N demonstrates superiority over commercial Pt/C catalysts in terms of mass activity (1.71 A/mg at 200 mV) and turnover frequency (1.41 s−1 at 100 mV). This result provides a rational and effective pathway for the preparation of efficient electrocatalysts.