Nanocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions

Hydrogen fuel is among the cleanest renewable resources and is the best alternative to fossil fuels for the future. Hydrogen can be best produced by means of electrolysis or photoelectrolysis of water among the various routes available for hydrogen production. So far, Pt has been recognized as the best electrode material for electrochemical hydrogen production. However, the cost of the catalyst, activity, and durability make Pt-catalyzed hydrogen production unsuitable on a commercial scale. It has hence become imperative to explore low-cost, highly active and durable HER catalysts to replace platinum as a catalyst. This perspective provides key concepts and the current status of the research on the properties of nanocatalysts that influence the hydrogen evolution reaction. Important structural features controlling the surface chemistry (i.e. facets, defects, dopants), nature of supports (graphene, CNTs, black phosphorus), role of heteroatoms, media and morphology are the key points of discussion in this perspective.