Synthesis of optically active chiral mesoporous molybdenum carbide film

Fusheng Zhang, Xintong Zheng, Cunli Wang, Dongdong Wang, Xingya Xue, Guangyan Qing*

J. Ind. Eng. Chem.,2021, 94, 482

A chiral nematic mesoporous molybdenum carbide film (CN-Mo₂C) was fabricated through the self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystal with peroxomolybdate. CN-Mo₂C exhibits a tunable chiral nematic structure by varying the ratio of constituents, enabling a surface area of 210 m² g⁻¹. Importantly, it shows a typical chiroptical feature through polarized optical microscopy and circular dichroism spectral analysis. As it has an excellent conductivity of 2.4✕10⁻² S cm⁻¹, we try to use CN-Mo₂C in the electrocatalytic HER production, presenting an efficient H₂ production capacity. It is a versatile synthetic strategy that can conveniently enable other large-area macroscopic chiral metal-based materials.