Microwave-Assisted Ultrafast Synthesis of Molybdenum Carbide Nanoparticles Grown on Carbon Matrix for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) coupled with carbon materials has received widespread attention in catalysis and energy storge/conversion. However, most of the existing synthetic pathways involve high operating temperature, time-consuming processes, and flammable gases. Herein, a novel, facile, and rapid method to synthesize Mo2C nanoparticles grown on a series of carbon substrates (such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and commercial carbon black) in a few minutes by using the strong interaction between the microwave and the carbon materials, in which the carbon matrix acts as the in situ heating media and carbon sources to accelerate carbon diffusion during the formation of Mo2C, is presented. Moreover, this method can also be extended to prepare a self-standing electrode (Mo2C/CF) in just 10 s, the uniformly dispersed Mo2C nanoparticles anchored on carbon fiber paper, which demonstrates superior catalytic performance and long-term stability (>100 h) in both acid and alkaline conditions for hydrogen evolution reaction.