Efficient Water Splitting Performance of Mo(Co)N: A Multifunctional Electrocatalyst for Green Hydrogen Production

Exploring a cost-effective, robust electrocatalyst with long-term durability continues to be challenging for large-scale hydrogen production. Here, we present a green, electricity-free mechanochemical synthesis of a multifunctional Pd–H–Mo-/Co–N electrocatalyst, demonstrating outstanding performance for OER, HER, OWS, HzOR, MOR, UOR, and SOR in alkaline seawater with the required potentials of 1.59, 1.49, 1.55, 1.45, 1.49, 1.51, and 1.60 V @ 10 mA/cm2, respectively; it has strongly coupled metal/metal nitride synergy, which improves catalytic performance, combining high specific energy, large surface area, and improved electron transfer through energy-efficient green synthesis. The Pd–H–Mo-/Co–N, with the smallest phase angle in the Bode plot, indicated that the Pd-doped heterointerface effectively enhanced the deprotonation ability to accelerate the reaction kinetics. Pd–H–Mo-/Co–N, with a smaller activation energy of 6.40 kJ/mol, required less overpotential to overcome the barrier and efficiently drive water oxidation than H–Mo-/Co–N (11.43 kJ/mol). The higher rate constant for Pd–H–Mo-/Co–N extracted from the Trumpet plot indicated the rapid formation of O2. The solar-driven water electrolysis (1.55 V) with comprehensive environmental assessments affirms the sustainability and scalability of Pd–H–Mo-/Co–N as a robust platform for large-scale hydrogen generation. This research offered a green synthetic route for multifunctional electrocatalysts, which can assist in H2 production and degrade pollutants in wastewater simultaneously. The proposed path completely eliminates hazardous byproducts, reduces material costs, and operates under ambient conditions, providing a scalable and environmentally benign pathway for the production of green hydrogen. Also, our findings establish a new model for the design of multifunctional electrocatalysts, advancing the projections of a sustainable hydrogen economy by providing an outline for near-future energy and environmental technologies.