Structural design for electrocatalytic water splitting to realize industrial-scale deployment: Strategies, advances, and perspectives

The green hydrogen generation powered by renewable electricity promises the potential decarbonization of the hard-to-abate sector and is essential for the fulfillment of the Paris Agreement that attempts to limit the global average temperature rise in the range of 1.5–2.0 °C above the pre-industrial level by the end of this century. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to the optimization of the electrocatalytic performance of the catalysts under industrial-relevant current densities via rational structure design, which induces a preferential electron distribution that favors the adsorption/desorption behavior of the key intermediates, thus accelerating the reaction kinetics. In this review, a brief introduction of the current energy status will be first presented to necessitate the importance of green hydrogen. Followed by the basic concepts and fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms, we present efficient strategies for the enhancement of the electrocatalytic performance of the catalysts to meet the rigorous requirement under industrial conditions and the in-depth understanding behind the reinforcement will be briefly discussed next. Then the recent advances regarding the rational design of electrocatalysts operating at an industrial scale will be summarized. Finally, the challenges and perspectives in this thriving field will be proposed from our point of view.