Recent advances in cobalt-based catalysts for efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution: a review

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Hydrogen (H2) is a clean, renewable energy source with growing demand.
• Developing efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts is crucial for industrial applications.
• Cobalt offers a cost-effective and abundant material for HER catalysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in cobalt-based compound catalysts for HER.
• To classify cobalt catalysts by compound type (sulfides, phosphides, etc.) and evaluate their performance in acidic and alkaline media.
• To explore strategies for enhancing cobalt catalyst activity and identify future research directions.

Main Methods:

• Classification of cobalt-based catalysts by compound type.
• Summary of research progress in acidic and alkaline media.
• Analysis of tuning strategies like structural engineering, defect engineering, and doping.
• Evaluation using density functional theory (DFT) descriptors and activity parameters.

Main Results:

• Cobalt-based sulfides, phosphides, carbides, borides, and oxides are effective HER catalysts.
• Various strategies like structural and defect engineering significantly improve catalytic activity.
• DFT calculations provide insights into catalyst performance and activity descriptors.

Conclusions:

• Cobalt-based compounds are highly promising for efficient HER catalysis.
• Further research is needed to overcome limitations and optimize catalyst design for industrial applications.
• Understanding fundamental chemical and physical factors is key to advancing cobalt-based HER catalysts.