Fundamental aspects and recent advances in transition metal nitrides as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction: A review

• Published in: Current opinion in solid state & materials science 2020-02, Vol.24 (1), p.100805, Article 100805
• Main Authors: Theerthagiri, Jayaraman, Lee, Seung Jun, Murthy, Arun Prasad, Madhavan, Jagannathan, Choi, Myong Yong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electrocatalysts; Hydrogen evolution reaction; Sustainable energy production; Transition metal nitrides
• ISSN: 1359-0286
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cossms.2020.100805

Hydrogen is considered to be the best clean fuel for future energy requirements. Significant progress has been made on activity and stability of transition metal nitrides as HER electrocatalysts in recent years. [Display omitted] •The review details recent progression in TMNs as HER electrocatalysts.•Importance of HER in the present perspective of energy crisis is highlighted.•A brief overview on fundaments is presented to better understand the problem.•Various synthetic strategies for the fabrication of TMNs are described.•Electrochemical parameters of TMNs are compared and future perspectives discussed. With increasing human population, sustainable energy production has become one of the most persistent and significant problems of the current century. Hydrogen is considered to be the best clean fuel for future energy requirements. As a substitute of fossil fuels, hydrogen is readily provided by an electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction that splits water molecules. Conventional electrocatalysts based on noble metals are scarce and considerably expensive for large-scale hydrogen production, necessitating the search for low-cost earth abundant alternatives. In this context, transition metal nitrides have gained considerable attention as competent electrocatalytic materials for water splitting. This review presents recent advancements and progress on transition metal nitrides as efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen production. After overviewing the fundamental aspects of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the review discusses various synthetic strategies for developing transition metal nitrides. Discussed herein are titanium nitrides, vanadium nitrides, iron nitrides, nickel nitrides, molybdenum nitrides, tungsten nitrides, and their composite electrocatalysts employed in HER applications. Some design viewpoints for improving the electrocatalytic activity are systematically proposed. Finally, the review discusses challenges and future perspectives for the advancement of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts.