Regulated Synthesis of Mo Sheets and Their Derivative MoX Sheets (X: P, S, or C) as Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions.

Electrochemical H2 generation from H2 O has been focused on the exploration of non-noble metals as well as earth-rich catalysts. In our practical work, we provide a simple cost-efficient fabrication process to prepare large Mo sheets via the controlled equilibrium between sublimation of MoO3 and reduction of H2 . Porous MoP sheets were synthesized from the obtained Mo sheets as the Mo source and template which exhibit notable activity in the hydrogen evolution reaction with a low onset potential of -88 mV vs RHE, small Tafel value of 54.5 mV/dec, and strong catalytic stability. With Mo sheets as the universal Mo source and template, MoS2 and Mo2 C sheets were synthesized by a similar process, and the corresponding catalytic activities were calculated by density functional theory.