Co-entrapped, N-doped mesoporous carbons prepared from melamine formaldehyde resins with CoCl2 as template for hydrogen evolution

Cobalt-entrapped, nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon materials have been prepared using melamine formaldehyde resin (MF resin) as precursor and CoCl2 as template. A fraction of CoCl2 can be reduced to Co nanoparticles and wrapped by the nitrogen doped carbon. Meanwhile, the ratio of MF resin to CoCl2 is an important parameter determining the mesoporous structures of the final products. The surface area of the obtained material decreases with the increase in the ratio of MF resin to CoCl2. Electrocatalytic tests show that the obtained catalysts are highly active for hydrogen evolution reaction in both acidic and basic media, achieving a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at 171 and 186 mV under acidic and alkaline conditions, respectively. Additionally, these catalysts also show good long-term stabilities. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.