Heterostructured Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Under Alkaline Conditions

Nano-Micro Letters

Jumeng Wei¹  Anchun Long²  Min Zhou²  Yanming Xue³  Hanbin Liao⁴  Chao Wei⁴  Zhichuan J. Xu⁴ 

[1] College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Anhui Science and Technology University;College of Physical Science and Technology, and Institute of Optoelectronic Technology, Yangzhou University;School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology;School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University;

关键词: Hybrid catalyst;    Hydrogen production;    Water splitting;    Interface engineering;    Synergistic effect;   

DOI  :  10.1007/s40820-018-0229-x

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a half-cell reaction in water electrolysis for producing hydrogen gas. In industrial water electrolysis, the HER is often conducted in alkaline media to achieve higher stability of the electrode materials. However, the kinetics of the HER in alkaline medium is slow relative to that in acid because of the low concentration of protons in the former. Under the latter conditions, the entire HER process will require additional effort to obtain protons by water dissociation near or on the catalyst surface. Heterostructured catalysts, with fascinating synergistic effects derived from their heterogeneous interfaces, can provide multiple functional sites for the overall reaction process. At present, the activity of the most active known heterostructured catalysts surpasses (platinum-based heterostructures) or approaches (noble-metal-free heterostructures) that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst under alkaline conditions, demonstrating an infusive potential to break through the bottlenecks. This review summarizes the most representative and recent heterostructured HER catalysts for alkaline medium. The basics and principles of the HER under alkaline conditions are first introduced, followed by a discussion of the latest advances in heterostructured catalysts with/without noble-metal-based heterostructures. Special focus is placed on approaches for enhancing the reaction rate by accelerating the Volmer step. This review aims to provide an overview of the current developments in alkaline HER catalysts, as well as the design principles for the future development of heterostructured nano- or micro-sized electrocatalysts.

【 授权许可】

Unknown