Abstract
Hydrogen is considered to be a promising energy carrier to solve the issue of energy crisis. Molybdenum carbide (Mo
C) is the typical material, which has similar properties of Pt and thought to be an attractive alternative to noble metals for H
evolution. The study of Mo
C as alternative catalyst for H
production is almost focused on electrocatalytic field, while the application of Mo
C as a co-catalyst in photocatalytic H
evolution has received in-depth research in recent years. Particularly, Mo
C exhibits significant enhancement in the H
production performance of semiconductors under visible light irradiation. However, a review discussing Mo
C serving as a co-catalysts in the photocatalytic H
evolution is still absent. Herein, the recent progress of Mo
C on photocatalytic H
evolution is reviewed. Firstly, the preparation methods including chemical vapor deposition, temperature programming, and organic-inorganic hybridization are detailly summarized. Then, the fundamental structure, electronic properties, and specific conductance of Mo
C are illustrated to illuminate the advantages of Mo
C as a co-catalyst for H
evolution. Furthermore, the different heterojunctions formed between Mo
C and other semiconductors for enhancing the photocatalytic performance are emphasized. Finally, perspectives regarding the current challenges and the future research directions on the improvement of catalytic performance of Mo
C-based photocatalysts are also presented.