Optimal Electrocatalyst Design Strategies for Acidic Oxygen Evolution

Abstract

Abstract Hydrogen, a clean resource with high energy density, is one of the most promising alternatives to fossil. Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers are beneficial for hydrogen production because of their high current density, facile operation, and high gas purity. However, the large‐scale application of electrochemical water splitting to acidic electrolytes is severely limited by the sluggish kinetics of the anodic reaction and the inadequate development of corrosion‐ and highly oxidation‐resistant anode catalysts. Therefore, anode catalysts with excellent performance and long‐term durability must be developed for anodic oxygen evolution reactions (OER) in acidic media. This review comprehensively outlines three commonly employed strategies, namely, defect, phase, and structure engineering, to address the challenges within the acidic OER, while also identifying their existing limitations. Accordingly, the correlation between material design strategies and catalytic performance is discussed in terms of their contribution to high activity and long‐term stability. In addition, various nanostructures that can effectively enhance the catalyst performance at the mesoscale are summarized from the perspective of engineering technology, thus providing suitable strategies for catalyst design that satisfy industrial requirements. Finally, the challenges and future outlook in the area of acidic OER are presented.

Keywords

• acidic OER
• catalyst design
• defect engineering
• phase engineering
• structure engineering