High performance energy-saving electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction: A minireview on the influence of structure and support

Abstract Generating hydrogen from water electrolysis is a promising clean energy strategy that may help alleviate energy crisis, which stimulates tremendous research interests in searching high performance catalysts with low energy consumption. In this article, we review recent progresses on the development of high performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) from the energy consumption perspective with the emphasis on the structure impact and support. In particular, the structural influence on the energy conversion efficiency and stability of HER electrocatalysts is discussed, and the role of support carriers in forming energy-saving catalytic systems with minimized non-HER energy loss, which are vital for practical processes, is highlighted. Moreover, a global design strategy incorporating both catalyst and support in the same integrated framework is advocated. This paper provides new insights into the structure-property relationship and the support effect in developing highly efficient and durable electrocatalysts for HER.