Mn, P co-doped sharp-edged Mo2C nanosheets anchored on porous carbon for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) has received great attention as a promising non-noble metal electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The exposure of more catalytic sites and optimal Mo-H bonding strength via heteroatom doping is strongly desirable for the HER. Herein, Mn, P co-doped sharp-edged Mo2C nanosheets (NSs) anchored on porous carbon with a high specific surface area of 1266 m(2) g(-1) are synthesized with KCl particles as templates and the activating agent. On one hand, the as-obtained interconnected porous carbon matrix can afford efficient electron and mass transfer channels. On the other hand, a higher intrinsic activity can also be achieved due to the optimized electronic structure of Mo2C by the doping of Mn and P, leading to outstanding HER kinetics with a small Tafel slope of 52 mV dec(-1). This work provides a facile route to prepare nonprecious HER catalysts with heteroatom doping.