Research Progress of Metal Oxide as Cathode Materials for Hydrogen Evolution

This review provides an overview of the latest research on metal oxide-based hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts, describes the synthesis of composite compounds or heterostructures based on metal oxides, classifies metal oxide-based hydrogen evolution catalysts by metal element type, and discusses the advantages and limitations of each catalyst. From noble metal oxides to transition metal oxides, to rare earth metal oxides, and finally to perovskite-type oxides, are discussed in detail. Further good electrocatalytic activity and durability of metal oxide-based heterostructures are obtained due to the synergistic catalytic effect of the heterostructures, which can modulate the electronic structure of the active site. Finally, an outlook on the future development of hydrogen evolution catalysts is given by summarizing the shortcomings and challenges of existing hydrogen evolution catalysts.