In Situ Surface Reconstruction of Catalysts for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution

Abstract

The in situ surface reconstitution of a catalyst for hydrogen evolution refers to its structure evolution induced by strong interactions with reaction intermediates during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which eventually leads to the self-optimization of active sites. In consideration of the superior performance that can be achieved by in situ surface reconstitution, more and more attention has been paid to the relationship between active site structure evolution and the self-optimization of HER activity. More and more in situ and/or operando techniques have been explored to track the dynamic structural evolution of HER catalysts in order to clarify the underlying mechanism. This review summarizes recent advances in various types of reconstruction such as the reconfiguration of crystallinity, morphological evolution, chemical composition evolution, phase transition refactoring, surface defects, and interface refactoring in the HER process. Finally, different perspectives and outlooks are offered to guide future investigations. This review is expected to provide some new clues for a deeper understanding of in situ surface reconfiguration in hydrogen evolution reactions and the targeted design of catalysts with desirable structures.

Niobic acid as a support for microheterogeneous nanocatalysis of sodium borohydride hydrolysis under mild conditions

“…This self-optimization may have different reasons, such as improved mixing/mass transfer or simply surface activation induced by the reaction intermediates. 58 This restructuring potentially enhances hydrogen formation and shis the equilibrium in its favor, despite a reduction in the number of active sites. The kinetic isotope effect (KIE) provides a means to study the rate-determining step of a reaction.…”

Revisited Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Mechanism of MoS2

“…It is also possible to directly generate branchlike MoS 2 by controlling the proportion of precursors during the growth of MoS 2 , thereby increasing the edge site of MoS 2 [42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. Defect engineering and phase engineering are also strategies to regulate the catalytic hydrogen production performance of MoS 2 [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. Although the catalytic hydrogen production performance of MoS 2 can be adjusted through various regulatory strategies, the corresponding catalytic mechanism is still very controversial.…”

Revisited Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution Reaction mechanism of MoS2

“…It is also possible to directly generate branchlike MoS2 by controlling the proportion of precursors during the growth of MoS2, thereby increasing the edge site of MoS2 [42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. Defect engineering and phase engineering are also strategies to regulate the catalytic hydrogen production performance of MoS2 [49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56]. Although the catalytic hydrogen production performance of MoS2 can be adjusted through various regulatory strategies, the corresponding catalytic mechanism is still very controversial.…”