Recent Progress in Low Pt Content Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Electrochemical water splitting plays a key role in the production of highly pure hydrogen by using renewable energy. To lower energy consumption, efficient electrocatalysts are required to drive and accelerate hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Although Pt is still considered as a state-of-the-art electrocatalyst toward HER, its large-scale deployment is limited by the scarcity and high price. Low Pt content electrocatalysts (LPCEs) have great potential to overcome this limitation by lowering Pt consumption, while its high activity can be maintained in the meantime. In this review, some major synthetic methods of LPCEs are summarized, including wet-chemistry method, electrochemistry method, annealing, and atomic layer deposition. Subsequently, the authors review a series of electrocatalysts of LPCEs toward HER in recent years. Based on the classification of different Pt forms, such LPCEs include Pt nanoparticles on supports, Pt nanoclusters on supports, Pt single-atom catalysts (SACs), Pt alloy catalysts, and LCEPs with Pt-rich surfaces. Notably, the HER performance can be improved by engineering LPCEs by using several strategies. Finally, the authors discuss the achievements and perspectives for LPCEs, which might provide some insights for future industrialized applications in hydrogen production.