Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production Trilogy

H₂ production via water electrolysis is of great significance in clean energy production, which, however, suffers from the sluggish kinetics of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Moreover, the anode product, O₂, which is of rather low value, may lead to dangerous explosions and the generation of membrane-degrading reactive oxygen species. Herein, to address these issues of electrocatalytic H₂ production, we summarize the most recent advances in three stages based on the benefit increments and various electron donation routes, which are: 1) electron donation by traditional OER: developing efficient catalysts for water oxidation to promote H₂ production; 2) electron donation by the oxidation of sacrificial agents: using sacrificial agents to assist H₂ production; 3) electron donation by electrosynthesis reaction: achieving electrosynthesis in parallel with cathodic H₂ production. Present challenges and related prospects will also be discussed, hopefully to benefit the further progress of electrocatalytic H₂ generation.