Recent Progress of Transition Metal Phosphides for Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

With environmental issues intensifying, such as global warming and ocean acidification, the development of low-carbon energy has become an urgent imperative. Hydrogen, as an ideal zero-carbon energy source, has received widespread attention. Among various hydrogen production processes, water electrolysis is a promising way for large-scale green hydrogen production. As a key half-reaction in water electrolysis, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) requires efficient electrocatalysts to maintain hydrogen production efficiency under the harsh conditions. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have emerged as crucial candidates to replace noble metal platinum-based catalysts due to their low cost, abundant reserves, tunable electronic structure, excellent electrical conductivity, and performance comparable to that of noble metals. However, TMPs face several bottlenecks in alkaline media, such as sluggish water dissociation kinetics and mismatched adsorption energy of hydrogen intermediates. Therefore, this review summarizes the synthesis methods and regulation strategies of TMPs, offering critical insights into overcoming the core challenges of TMP-based electrocatalysts for alkaline HER, which can accelerate the development of cost-effective green hydrogen production technologies.

Keywords

electrocatalyst / hydrogen evolution reaction / regulation strategies / synthesis methods / transition metal phosphide

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2026 The Author(s). Carbon Neutralization published by Wenzhou University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.