@article{Chen2026, 
author = {Lulu Chen and Yichao Huang and Haitao Li and Ruili Gao and Han Tang and Jiangwei Chen and Yanfei Wang and Meihong Liao and Chuande Wu},
title = {Polyoxometalate-derived N@Mo2C/V2O3 cluster heterostructure for accelerated alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction},
year = {2026},
journal = {Polyoxometalates},
volume = {5},
number = {1},
pages = {9140110},
keywords = {polyoxometalates, clusters, heterostructures, electrocatalysis, hydrogen evolution reaction},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/POM.2026.9140110},
doi = {10.26599/POM.2026.9140110},
abstract = {The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline water electrolysis is fundamentally limited by the high energy barrier associated with water dissociation. Herein, we report the development of self-supported nitrogen-doped molybdenum carbide and vanadium oxide cluster heterostructures (N@Mo2C/V2O3) on carbon fiber paper using organoimido-derivatized molybdovanadate nanoclusters as precursors. Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the engineered cluster heterointerfaces significantly reduce the energy barrier of the rate-determining step, accelerating HER kinetics. Moreover, V2O3 acts as a cocatalyst that enhances hydrophilicity of the N@Mo2C/V2O3 and, versus pristine N@Mo2C, facilitates hydrogen desorption from the composite. The optimized N@Mo2C/V2O3 cluster heterostructure exhibits exceptional electrocatalytic performance, delivering a current density of 300 mA·cm−2 at an overpotential of merely 191 mV and maintaining stability over 400 h of continuous operation. When integrated into an alkaline water electrolyzer, the system requires only 1.94 V to achieve an industrially relevant current density of 500 mA·cm−2, outperforming commercial platinum–carbon catalysts. These findings offer new perspectives and valuable insights into the development of efficient, stable, and economical noble metal-free electrocatalysts for green hydrogen production.}
}