Stainless steel-based nanostructured electrodes for hydrogen production.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Transitioning to a sustainable future requires efficient, cost-effective electrochemical technologies.
• Noble metal catalysts, while effective for hydrogen production, are scarce and expensive.
• Earth-abundant alternatives like stainless steel (SS) are crucial for scalable electrochemical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the development of stainless steel-based nanomaterials for electrochemical hydrogen (H2) production.
• To explore strategies for transforming SS into active, stable, and biocompatible electrocatalysts.
• To address challenges and outline future research directions for SS in H2 generation.

Main Methods:

• Review of surface engineering and material design strategies for SS.
• Analysis of SS-based nanomaterials in conventional water electrolysis (HER/OER).
• Investigation of SS applications in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) and biomass electro-oxidation.

Main Results:

• Chemical, thermal, electrochemical, and structural modifications can enhance SS performance.
• SS-based nanomaterials show potential as active and stable electrodes for H2 production.
• Integration with biomass electro-oxidation offers a promising pathway for sustainable H2 generation.

Conclusions:

• Stainless steel is a versatile, low-cost platform for developing advanced nanocatalysts for H2 production.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges in stability, selectivity, and scale-up in complex environments.
• SS-based nanomaterials can significantly reduce reliance on precious metals for efficient H2 generation.