Toward Scalable Synthesis of Mo2C/MoNi4 Heterojunction Catalysts on Ni Mesh via Laser Radiation for Efficient H2 Production in Alkaline Electrolysis

Abstract The alkaline electrolysis is the dominant production method for hydrogen since non‐noble Ni metals can be used as catalysts. The low activity of the commercial nickel mesh (NM) electrodes remains a considerable obstacle to reducing energy consumption for water splitting. Conducting surface modification on commercial NM is a promising tactic to improve the hydrog enevolution reaction (HER) intrinsic activity of NM catalysts. Herein, Mo 2 C/MoNi 4 heterojunction coating on the NM substrate via a laser Radiation strategy is designed. The results indicate that the Mo 2 C 8.5 /MoNi 4 /NM delivers an extremely low overpotential to trigger HER (η 10 = 49.5 mV) processes and maintains a stable overpotential for 100 h in alkaline media. The experimental and theoretical calculations reveal that the downshifted d‐band center of Ni in MoNi 4 caused by two‐phase heterojunction can regulate the free energy of reactive intermediates adsorption & desorption, thereby accelerating the entire HER process. This work will open up an avenue for developing highly efficient Ni‐based heterostructured electrocatalysts for commercial HER electrode application.