Electrocatalysts Design Guided by Active Intermediates of Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Hydrogen production from water electrolysis plays an important role for the development of hydrogen‐based energy sources. Developing efficient electrocatalysts is crucial for accelerating the reaction kinetics and achieving large‐scale water electrolysis. Despite the significant advancements in electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) achieved over the past few decades, there remains a lack of comprehensive discussion on the in‐depth mechanism for the enhanced activity, particularly with regard to the active intermediates. Recently, with the development of state‐of‐the‐art characterization methods and theoretical computation, optimizing interaction between reaction intermediates and corresponding active sites has been demonstrated as an effective strategy to enhance the intrinsic catalytic activity. Herein, the recent advances in the electrocatalysts design guided by active intermediates of HER are presented. Emphasis is focused on the discussion of key intermediates that determine HER activity and the strategies to tune the interaction between active sites and reaction intermediates. Finally, an outlook on future challenges and perspectives on the development of electrocatalysts based on the active intermediates is given.

Double‐Walled Tubular Heusler‐Type Platinum–Ruthenium Phosphide as All‐pH Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalyst Outperforming Platinum and Ruthenium

“…[7] On the other hand, recent advancements focus on improving the interactions between reaction intermediates (H 2 O, OH, and H species) and corresponding well-designed active sites by exploiting diverse materials or by constructing amorphous/crystalline heterostructures. [8][9][10] Such strategies led to accelerated reaction kinetics, primarily due to the optimized active sites generated from abundant phase boundaries. [11,12] In this regard, we propose a nanostructured ternary ionic phase that strategically places two different cation types for water dissociation and H 2 production to maximize synergy in single-phase nanocatalysts (Figure S1b, Supporting Information).…”

Twinning Engineering of Platinum/Iridium Nanonets as Turing-Type Catalysts for Efficient Water Splitting

“…Hydrogen is a compelling alternative to fossil fuel, as it has the highest gravimetric energy density among chemical fuels (142 MJ kg –1 ) and allows green electrochemical synthesis from renewable energy. − Platinum group metals (PGMs) are widely studied active materials for the catalysis of water splitting, including the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). − However, large-scale applications of PGM catalysts and the development of related energy technologies, such as hydrogen fuel cells, are greatly limited by the high cost and low reserves of these noble metals. Tremendous efforts are thus being made to improve the mass activity of PGM catalysts (i.e., the catalytic current per unit mass of PGMs) and reduce mass loading in engineering.…”

Ultrasmall Pt/Nanoceria Hybrids Supported on N-Doped rGO as Electrocatalyst for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

“…As a carbon-free energy carrier with the highest energy density, hydrogen (H 2 ) has been considered as a promising alternative to fossil fuels. Water electrolysis offers an appealing way to produce hydrogen from renewable resources. − Pt-based materials are the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). − However, the scarcity and high cost of Pt greatly restrict its widespread application. Great efforts have been devoted to improve the atomic utilization efficiency by tuning the sizes, exposed facets, components, and structural configurations of Pt-based nanocatalysts. − …”