Emerging two-dimensional nanocatalysts for electrocatalytic hydrogen production

Hydrogen energy could be a economic and powerful technology for sustainable future. Producing hydrogen fuel by electrochemical water splitting has attracted intense interest. Due to their physical and chemical properties, two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have sparked immense interest in water electrocatalysis for hydrogen production. This review focuses on the emerging nanocatalysts in 2D nanoarchitectures for electrocatalytic hydrogen production. The fundamentals of HER are firstly depicted, following the discussion of recent advances in typical 2D electrocatalysts for HER. The insights into the relationship among the synthetic protocols, structure, catalytic performance and thermodynamics will be discussed in details. Finally, the outlooks regarding further development of 2D nanocatalysts for HER are proposed. We hope this review will offer a comprehensive understanding in 2D nanocatalysts to promote electrochemical hydrogen production. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.