Design of pH-universal electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

The path to searching for sustainable energy has never stopped since the depletion of fossil fuels can lead to serious environmental pollution and energy shortages. Using water electrolysis to produce hydrogen has been proven to be a prioritized approach for green resource production. It is highly crucial to explore inexpensive and high-performance electrocatalysts for accelerating hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and apply them to industrial cases on a large scale. Here, we summarize the different mechanisms of HER in different pH settings and review recent advances in non-noble-metal-based electrocatalysts. Then, based on the previous efforts, we discuss several universal strategies for designing pH-independent catalysts and show directions for the future design of pH-universal catalysts. A comprehensive and helpful tutorial is organized with a suitable discussion on the advanced mechanism as well as the universal assessment index of hydrogen evolution reaction. Additional summaries of current research on high-rate pH-all electrocatalysts and pertinent optimization techniques are also included. image