Current progress of molybdenum carbide-based materials for electrocatalysis: potential electrocatalysts with diverse applications

Electrocatalysts are the cores of many electrochemical reactions including hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR), and CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Recent advances in research have demonstrated the potentials of molybdenum carbide-based catalysts for these reactions arising out of their unique electronic structure and physicochemical properties. In this review, we systematically summarize the recent advances of molybdenum carbide-based catalysts in these electrochemical processes. The corresponding synthesis strategies, structure and electrocatalytic performance of the catalysts are discussed and the relationships of the process-structure-property are highlighted. In addition, the catalytic mechanisms are analyzed based on the structure characterization and theoretical calculations results. Finally, the existing challenges and future perspectives are put forward for further development of molybdenum carbide based catalysts. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.