@article{Xiao2025, 
author = {Long Xiao and Huizhu Cai and Bingbing Chen and Peiyuan Mao and Wenqian Xu and Manyi Yang and Rui Gao and Chuan Shi},
title = {Atomic interface engineering of ultra-small metastable α-MoC1−x enables electronically modulated Pt catalysts for hydrogen evolution},
year = {2025},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {18},
number = {9},
pages = {94907672},
keywords = {molybdenum carbide, hydrogen evolution reaction, strong metal-support interaction, interface engineering},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2025.94907672},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2025.94907672},
abstract = {The rational design of platinum-based electrocatalysts with optimized metal-support electronic interactions remains a fundamental challenge in achieving atom-efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This study demonstrates a coordination-driven synthesis strategy to engineer highly dispersed ultra-small α-MoC1−x anchored on nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) frameworks, leveraging the unique metal-organic coordination chemistry between molybdenum species and imidazolate ligands in ZIF-8 precursors. Through precise control of the carbide crystallization process, we establish an atomic-level interface configuration that enables the preferential anchoring of Pt atoms onto the metastable α-MoC1−x phase. The resulting strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) induces significant electron redistribution at the Pt/α-MoC1−x interface, as evidenced by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The optimized Pt/α-MoC1−x/NC architecture demonstrates exceptional HER performance with low overpotentials of 19 and 84 mV at current density of 10 and 100 mA·cm−2. Remarkably, it achieves a mass activity of 15.3 A·mgPt−1 at 100 mV overpotential, 10.9-fold enhancement compared to commercial 20% Pt/C (1.4 A·mgPt−1). This work establishes a new paradigm for constructing interfacial electronic environments through support dispersion engineering, providing fundamental insights into the design principles of high-efficiency catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.}
}