Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Water Electrolysis

Huimin Wu; Chuanqi Feng; Lei Zhang; Jiujun Zhang; David P. Wilkinson

doi:10.1007/s41918-020-00086-z

Electrochemical Energy Reviews ›› 2021, Vol. 4 ›› Issue (3) : 473 -507. DOI: 10.1007/s41918-020-00086-z

Review Article

Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Water Electrolysis

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¹Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environmental Response in Hubei Province, Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, 430062, Wuhan, Hubei, China

²Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council of Canada, V6T 1W5, Vancouver, BC, Canada

³Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of British Columbia, V6T 1W5, Vancouver, BC, Canada

⁴College of Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Energy, Shanghai University, 200444, Shanghai, China

^a whm267@hubu.edu.cn

^e dwilkinson@chbe.ubc.ca

Huimin Wu

is an Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry at Hubei University. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from University of Wollongong, Australia. She received her M.S. degree in Physical Chemistry from Wuhan University. Her main research interests are in electrochemical and photochemical sensors, energy conversion and storage materials, and processes to create clean and sustainable energy and water.

Chuanqi Feng

is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Hubei University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Inorganic Chemistry from Wuhan University. His main research interests are in electrochemistry, battery, energy conversion and storage materials.

Lei Zhang

is a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC-UK). She is also an active member of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE). Dr. Zhang received her first M.Sc. Master’s degree in Materials Chemistry (1993) from Wuhan University (China), and the second Master’s degree M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry (2000) from Simon Fraser University (Canada), and a Ph.D. in Physics from Shanghai University in 2020. Her main research interests include advanced materials and electrochemical energy technologies in the areas of proton electrolyte membrane fuel cell electrocatalysis, supercapacitors and batteries.

Jiujun Zhang

is a Professor in the College of Sciences/Institute for Sustainable Energy at Shanghai University, a former Principal Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). Dr. Zhang is a Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), Fellow of The Academy of Science of The Royal Society of Canada (FRSCCA), Fellow of The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), Fellow of International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE), and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC-UK). Dr. Zhang received his B.S. and M.Sc. in Electrochemistry from Peking University in 1982 and 1985, respectively, and his Ph.D. in Electrochemistry from Wuhan University in 1988. Dr. Zhang’s main research areas are Electrochemistry, Electrocatalysts, Fuel cells, Lithium batteries, Metal-air batteries, Supercapacitors, and H₂O/CO₂/N₂ electrolysis.

David P. Wilkinson

is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Dr. Wilkinson is a Fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), Fellow of The Academy of Science of The Royal Society of Canada (FRSCCA), Fellow of The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC), Fellow of Chemical Institute of Canada. He previously held the positions of Executive Director of the UBC Clean Energy Research Center, Principal Research Officer and Senior Advisor with the National Research Council of Canada Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation, Director and Vice President of Research and Development at Ballard Power Systems, and Group Leader at Moli Energy. His main research interests are in electrochemical and photochemical devices, energy conversion and storage materials, and processes to create clean and sustainable energy and water.

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Abstract

Abstract

Water electrolysis is a sustainable approach for hydrogen production by using electricity from clean energy sources. However, both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) associated with water electrolysis are kinetically sluggish, leading to low efficiency in corresponding electrolysis devices. In addition, current electrocatalysts that can catalyze both HER and OER to practical rates require noble metals such as platinum that are low in abundance and high in price, severely limiting commercialization. As a result, the development of high-performance and cost-effective non-noble metal electrocatalysts to replace noble ones has intensified. Based on this, this review will comprehensively present recent research in the design, synthesis, characterization and performance validation/optimization of non-noble metal HER electrocatalysts and analyze corresponding catalytic mechanisms. Moreover, several important types of non-noble metal electrocatalysts including zero-dimensional, one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional materials are presented with an emphasis on morphology/structure, synergetic interaction between metal and support, catalytic property and HER activity/stability. Furthermore, existing technical challenges are summarized and corresponding research directions are proposed toward practical application.

Graphic Abstract

Water electrolysis is a sustainable approach for hydrogen production by using electricity from clean energy sources. However, both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are kinetically sluggish, causing low efficiency of the electrolysis devices. The currently used noble metals, such as Pt-based electrocatalysts for catalyzing both HER and OER to practical rates, have low abundances and high price, limiting their commercialization. In this regard, developing high-performance and cost-effective non-noble metal electrocatalysts to replace noble ones has become a hot research topic.

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Huimin Wu, Chuanqi Feng, Lei Zhang, Jiujun Zhang, David P. Wilkinson. Non-noble Metal Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Water Electrolysis. Electrochemical Energy Reviews, 2021, 4(3): 473-507 DOI:10.1007/s41918-020-00086-z