A hybrid electrocatalyst derived from Co-MOF by doping molybdenum for efficient hydrogen generation

The synergistic effect of graphene and doping elements is vital to improve the electrocatalytic performance. However, it is still a challenge to select appropriate elements for doping to improve the rate of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this study, we prepared a highly efficient and promising electrocatalyst, namely CoMoO 4 /Co 2 Mo 3 O 8 @C , by a carburization process of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) combined with doping molybdenum via simple hydrothermal and pyrolysis method. Compared with Co-MOF , CoMoO 4 /Co 2 Mo 3 O 8 @C exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance with an overpotential as low as 120 mV at 10 mA·cm −2 and a Tafel slope as small as 69 mV·dec −1 for HER activity in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 . The excellent performance of CoMoO 4 /Co 2 Mo 3 O 8 @C could be ascribed to the synergistic effect of CoMoO 4 /Co 2 Mo 3 O 8 and graphene coating, which facilitated charge transfer in HER activity. This work may provide novel perspectives for fabricating electrocatalysts composed of transition metal oxide and graphene based on MOFs for enhancing HER performance.