Research progress of electrocatalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline media

Abstract

Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have been hailed as a promising hydrogen energy technology due to high energy conversion efficiency, zero carbon emission and the potential independence on scare and expensive noble metal electrocatalysts. A variety of platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalysts has been developed with superior catalytic performance to noble metal benchmarks toward cathodic oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). However, PGM electrocatalysts still dominate the anodic catalyst research because the kinetics of hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) are two or three orders of magnitude slower than in that acidic media. Therefore, it is urgently desirable to improve noble metal utilization efficiency and/or develop high-performance PGM-free electrocatalysts for HOR, thus promoting the real-world implementation of AEMFCs. In this review, the current research progress of electrocatalysts for HOR in alkaline media is summarized. We start with the discussion on the current HOR reaction mechanisms and existing controversies. Then, methodologies to improve the HOR performance are reviewed. Following these principles, the recently developed HOR electrocatalysts including PGM and PGM-free HOR electrocatalysts in alkaline media are systematically introduced. Finally, we put forward the challenges and prospects in the field of HOR catalysis.