Progress in the Application of Electrocatalysts

With the surge of energy demand and the aggravation of fossil fuel shortage, the development of efficient and clean energy technologies has become a research hotspot. Hydrogen production from electrolyzed water has attracted much attention due to its advantages of high purity and environmental protection, but its core catalyst still relies on the precious metal platinum (Pt), which has bottlenecks such as high cost and poor stability. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of electrocatalysts in hydrogen production from electrolytic water, focusing on the optimization strategies of noble metal-based catalysts and the breakthrough results of non-precious metal-based catalysts. It is shown that the diatomic catalysts can significantly enhance the catalytic activity through synergistic effects, while the transition metal-based materials exhibit hydrogen precipitation performance close to Pt in alkaline media. In addition, transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-NC) composites have become an important direction for replacing precious metal catalysts due to their high stability and low cost. However, the issues of catalytic activity site modulation, scale-up preparation and acidic environment adaptability still need to be further explored. This paper provides a theoretical reference for the design and optimization of electrocatalysts to help the practical development of electrolytic water to hydrogen technology.