Designing Hierarchical Porous Amorphous MoC <sub> <i>x</i> </sub> Nanoflowers for Efficient Electrocatalysis
Jiulong Wu, Wanlin Zhou, Jingjing Jiang, Yiru Zhao, Huohai Yang, Chenyu Yang, Yuhao Zhang, Qizheng An, Xupeng Qin, J. Zhang, BaoJie Li, Y Y Li, Q.Q. Liu
Abstract
Transition metal carbides (TMCs) have emerged as highly promising candidates for catalytic applications. However, achieving synergistic modulation of their crystalline phase and hierarchical pore structure─a critical factor for stabilizing active sites and enhancing catalytic activity─remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we develop a self-sacrificial template strategy for synthesizing nanoflower-like amorphous molybdenum carbide (NF a-MoC x ) with a controlled architecture. This approach enables the creation of a hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure that enlarges the surface area while establishing a favorable reaction microenvironment for efficient mass transport. As a proof of concept, the amorphous structure of NF a-MoC x serves as an ideal support to achieve effective regulation of the particle size and uniform dispersion of Pt nanoparticles (2 nm), resulting in a power density of 117.67 mW cm –2 in Zn–air energy devices.