Investigation of electrocatalytic hydrogen gas formation on carbon quantum dots modified with Pt-MoOx nanoparticles

Hydrogen energy is of great importance today as a clean and efficient energy source as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. In this study, it was aimed to develop a low-cost and stable electrocatalyst with high catalytic efficiency to effectively obtain hydrogen by electrochemical reduction of water. Although obtaining hydrogen gas by electrolysis of water is the simplest and most effective method of hydrogen production, the excessive voltage in the electrochemical system and the low efficiency of the electrode increase the cost of the method, thus limiting its use. To overcome these disadvantages, modified electrodes that are low overvoltage, stable and economical are preferred in the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water. For this purpose, in this study, carbon quantum dots (CQD) produced by applying a constant current to the pencil electrode, and the produced carbon quantum dots were used as carbon-support material in the electrocatalyst. This support material applied to the glassy carbon electrode surface, and then a certain amount of Pt-MoOx electrochemically deposited on this structure to obtain the CQD/Pt-MoOx nanocomposite structure. The surface properties of the resulting nanocomposite structure were characterized and its electrocatalytic activity in hydrogen formation in the aqueous acidic environment was examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV), Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques, and stability tests also carried out.