Use of catalysts is important for reducing the energy intensity and making the process of recovering hydrogen through electrolysis faster. Catalysts based on expensive platinum group metals (including platinum and palladium) are commonly known. Catalysts based on transition metals including molybdenum carbide are cheaper. Molybdenum carbide is a non-organic compound of molybdenum and carbon in the form of black water-insoluble crystals.
“In scientific literature, we can find different ways to improve the catalysts’ performance using molybdenum carbide by way of doping with other atoms forming various structures, etc. In our study we combined several ways and developed a new structure from three components – molybdenum, melamine and graphite”, Tomsk Polytechnical University is citing Yulia Vasilyeva, the research fellow of the laboratory of promising materials of the energy sphere, one of the authors of the study.
The scientists developed the structure representing molybdenum oxide on the surface of molybdenum carbide integrated into graphite carbonic matrix doped with nitrogen. The experiments with the new catalyst received through a non-vacuum method demonstrated that it has high electrochemical stability and may remain stable for 15 days, while as the stability of similar catalysts does not exceed 50 hours.
According to the results of the study, the new catalyst features higher activity rate during the reaction of recovering hydrogen from water (the activity is estimated based on the overvoltage values). “For reference platinum-based catalyst, this value makes 31 MV, and the closer the overvoltage is to the value – the better. For the majority of existing analogues this parameter is on the average between 200 and 250 MV. For our catalyst the overvoltage is at the level of 148 MV. There are studies showing even lower values. However, such catalysts are difficult to produce, and their applications are limited. As for our catalyst, it is very easy to produce and it displays good potential for further use”, Tomsk Polytechnical University is citing Yulia Vasilyeva.
