Atomic Dispersion of Rh on Interconnected Mo2C Nanosheet Network Intimately Embedded in 3D NixMoOy Nanorod Arrays for pH-Universal Hydrogen Evolution

Herein, a simple synthetic approach is employed for the atomic dispersion of Rh atoms (Rh SAs) over the surface of interconnected Mo2C nanosheets intimately embedded in a three-dimensional NixMoOy nanorod arrays (NixMoOy NRs) framework; we found that the introduction of both isolated Rh SAs and NixMoOy NRs adjusts the electrocatalytic function of the host Mo2C toward the direction of being an advanced and highly stable electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution at pH-universal conditions. As a result, the proposed catalyst outperforms most recently reported transition metal-based catalysts, and its performance even rivals that of commercial Pt/C, as demonstrated by its ultralow overpotentials of 31.7, 109.7, and 95.4 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm(-2), along with its small Tafel slopes of 42.4, 51.2, and 46.8 mV dec(-1) in acidic, neutral, and alkaline conditions, respectively. In addition, the catalyst shows remarkable long-term stability over all pH values with good maintenance of its catalytic activity and structural characteristics after continuous operation.