Advances in the Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction by Metal Nanoclusters‐based Materials

With the development of renewable energy systems, clean hydrogen is burgeoning as an optimal alternative to fossil fuels, in which its application is promising to retarding the global energy and environmental crisis. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), capable of producing high‐purity hydrogen ra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2022-12, Vol.18 (52), p.e2204524-n/a
Main Authors: Ding, Junyang, Yang, Hui, Zhang, Shusheng, Liu, Qian, Cao, Huanqi, Luo, Jun, Liu, Xijun
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon
Catalysis
catalyst design
Clean energy
Electrocatalysts
Electrons
Fossil fuels
Hydrogen
Hydrogen evolution reactions
hydrogen production
metal nanoclusters
Metal Nanoparticles
Nanoclusters
Nanoparticles
Nanotechnology
Size effects
Water splitting
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Summary:With the development of renewable energy systems, clean hydrogen is burgeoning as an optimal alternative to fossil fuels, in which its application is promising to retarding the global energy and environmental crisis. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), capable of producing high‐purity hydrogen rapidly in electrocatalytic water splitting, has received much attention. Abundant research about HER has been done, focusing on advanced electrocatalyst design with high efficiency and robust stability. As potential HER catalysts, metal nanoclusters (MNCs) have been studied extensively. They are composed of several to a hundred metal atoms, with sizes being comparable to the Fermi wavelength of electrons, that is, < 2.0 nm. Different from metal atoms/nanoparticles, they exhibit unique catalytic properties due to their quantum size effect and low‐coordination environment. In this review, the activity‐enhancing approaches of MNCs applied in HER electrocatalysis are mainly summarized. Furthermore, recent progress in MNCs classified with different stabilization strategies, that is, the freestanding MNCs, MNCs with organic, metal and carbon supports, are introduced. Finally, the current challenges and deficiencies of these MNCs for HER are prospected. Metal nanoclusters (MNCs) exhibit unique hydrogen evolution reaction  properties different from metal atoms/nanoparticles due to their quantum size effect and low coordination environment. Moreover, the dispersed MNCs immobilized on supports can significantly enhance the utilization efficiency of noble metal, which indicates that supports can not only stabilize the highly active centers and prevent agglomeration, but also affect their electronic structure.
ISSN:1613-6810
1613-6829
DOI:10.1002/smll.202204524