Pt nanoparticles loaded on MoO3/MoO2 Heterojunction toward efficient dual-pH hydrogen evolution

Given the exorbitant cost and rarity of platinum (Pt), the rational design of Pt-based electrocatalysts enabling economical and efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysis remains a major bottleneck for widespread application. A facile hydrothermal strategy was employed in this work to successfully synthesize Pt nanoparticles loaded onto MoO 3 /MoO 2 heterojunction. The Pt MoO 3 /MoO 2 –   6 (denoting a hydrothermal reaction time of 6 h) catalyst demonstrates outstanding HER performance, achieving low overpotentials of 25 mV in acidic and 30 mV in alkaline medium at 10 mA cm⁻ 2 . DFT calculations reveal that the metal-support interaction between Pt and MoO x reduces the Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption during the HER process, thereby accelerating the reaction kinetics of HER. Theoretical and experimental analysis indicate that the interaction between Pt and MoO 3 /MoO 2 heterojunction enhances charge transfer between Pt MoO 3 /MoO 2 and hydrogen atoms by modifying the electronic structure, optimizing hydrogen adsorption and ultimately boosting electrocatalytic HER activity. The current investigation offers an effective, facile method for the deliberate construction of high catalytic activity noble metal decorated on MoO x -based catalysts for wide pH ranges. Download: Download high-res image (178KB) Download: Download full-size image Pt nanoparticles were loaded onto the MoO 3 /MoO 2 heterojunction through a simple hydrothermal method. The resulting catalyst exhibited excellent hydrogen evolution performance in both acidic and alkaline media.