Molybdenum trioxide (alpha-MoO3) is a promising and inexpensive alternative to platinum group metals (PGMs), for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, to make it a viable candidate for electrocatalytic systems, we must address the hurdles associated with its inferior electrical conductivity and lack of active sites. Unlike Mo-based compounds such as MoS2 and MoSe2, which possess catalytically active edges, alpha-MoO3 lacks inherent active sites for HER. Previous studies have employed various strategies to activate MoO3 for HER, yet its activation in near-neutral conditions remain largely unexplored. In this study, a previously known alpha-MoO3 intercalating {Ni(H2O)6}2+, [MoVI2O6(CH3COO){NiII(H2O)6}0.5] & sdot; H2O (Ni(H2O)6@MoO3) is prepared via a simple and scalable room-temperature aqueous synthesis. In the subsequent aerial thermal annealing process at 300, 400 and 500 degrees C, Ni(H2O)6@MoO3 acts as a self-sacrificial template, yielding mixed metal oxide composites of nickel and molybdenum (named as MoO3-300, MoO3-400 and MoO3-500). The HR-TEM and XPS analyses confirm the formation of the Ni2O3 phase alongside the orthorhombic alpha-MoO3. The annealing temperature plays a key role in the crystallinity, phase, morphology, and electrocatalytic performance of the resulting composites. The composite formed at 400 degrees C (MoO3-400) shows the best electrocatalytic performance among them, showcasing a fivefold enhancement in the HER current density as compared to that shown by commercially available alpha-MoO3 in mildly acidic acetate buffer. The enhanced performance towards HER by MoO3-400 could be attributed to the nanostructured morphology attained via thermal treatment, which provides greater access to the surface sites and the synergistic interaction between the nickel oxide phases and MoO3 structure, enabling an intermediate pH HER activity rarely reported for molybdenum oxide materials.
