Electrocatalysis for liquid chemical hydrogen storage

Abstract

Faced with the challenges posed by the energy shortages and environmental degradation, hydrogen energy presents significant potential for realizing global sustainable development of energy today. Although hydrogen holds a variety of merits as a direct energy carrier, its large-scale storage, and transportation remain major technical hurdles. For comparison, electrocatalytic synthesized high hydrogen-containing liquid chemicals offer notable advantages in terms of controllable catalytic hydrogen evolution and superior storage and transportation capabilities. To expedite reaction speed and enhance hydrogen storage capacity in hydrogen-containing liquid chemicals, it is crucial to design novel and efficient electrocatalysts alongside high-performance electrolytic cell systems. This review aimed to summarize representative and efficient catalysts employed in the electrocatalytic production of various liquid chemicals crucial for hydrogen storage and transportation, such as methanol, formic acid, liquid ammonia, and methylcyclohexane. Additionally, new designs for electrolytic cell systems will be discussed, including electrode hydrophilicity optimization and flow field design.