Recent Progress on the Stability of Electrocatalysts under High Current Densities toward Industrial Water Splitting

Abstract

Electrochemical water splitting technology for producing hydrogen is important for the sustainable energy development and the global mission of carbon neutrality. Electrocatalysts with decent performance under high current densities play a crucial role in the industrial implementation of this technology. The activity of electrocatalysts has been intensively pursued and much progress has been achieved over the past decades. However, the stability of electrocatalysts under high current densities remains challenging and suffers from insufficient attention. Therefore, a timely review to focus on the stability issue of water-splitting catalysts toward industrial application is necessary. Here, the review starts with a discussion of the destabilizing factors and the stability-related characterization means. Then the long-term durabilities of electrocatalysts for alkaline electrolyte, acidic electrolyte and seawater electrolysis are summarized, based on which the design strategies of highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts are proposed. To bridge the gaps between laboratory and industrial development of water-splitting electrocatalysts, the challenges and perspectives on future directions are provided in the end.