Advanced Pt-based electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline medium.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Renewable Energy

Background:

• Water electro-splitting is crucial for hydrogen energy development, with the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) occurring at the cathode.
• Platinum-based electrocatalysts show promise for HER but face challenges in alkaline electrolytes due to slow kinetics.
• These kinetic limitations stem from additional hydrolysis dissociation steps, hindering practical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review strategies for optimizing HER kinetics in alkaline electrolytes.
• To provide guidelines for designing highly active and economical platinum-based electrocatalysts.
• To address the challenges hindering the practical application of Pt-based HER catalysts in alkaline media.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on platinum-based electrocatalysts for HER.
• Analysis of HER mechanisms in alkaline environments.
• Identification of strategies to accelerate water dissociation and optimize hydrogen binding energy.

Main Results:

• Strategies for boosting intrinsic HER activity include accelerating water dissociation, optimizing hydrogen binding energy, and modulating catalyst spatial dimensions.
• These optimizations are guided by a deeper understanding of the HER mechanism.
• The review highlights the potential of Pt-based catalysts when kinetics are improved.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing kinetics is key to unlocking the full potential of Pt-based electrocatalysts for alkaline HER.
• Future research should focus on active site studies, detailed mechanism exploration, and scalable catalyst preparation.
• This work provides a roadmap for developing efficient and economical catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production.