Surface and interface design of electrocatalysts for hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions: A bridge to the green-oriented transition of energy

The consumption of traditional energy and consequent environmental problems are general concerns of the society, while various industries still need a lot of energy power. Electrocatalysis has unparalleled advantages in numerous production and life, which is a powerful means to promote the green transformation of energy. In this review, three widely used strategies of electrocatalysts for hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions including defect/vacancy engineering, doping engineering and interface/surface engineering are reviewed. Specifically, the defect/vacancy engineering is to produce effective interface between the catalyst and the defect, which effectively improves the physical and chemical properties of the catalyst at different levels. Different from the subtractive effect of defect/vacancy on the materials, doping strategy is to add functional improvement substances at the specific location of the catalyst according to requirements, the resulting heterogeneous interface becomes the active site for catalysis. Interface/surface engineering is the adjustment of the catalytic process in the macroscopic plane structure, including the internal multiphase interface and the directional modification of the surface. This review focuses on relationships between the structure and efficiency, and comprehensively discusses the components, preparation methods, characterization means, application scenarios and catalytic activity of the catalyst. The existing electrocatalysis strategies are summarized, and the main challenges and development trends of electrocatalyst in the future are also prospected. We anticipate that these discussions can provide a reference for the development of sustainable energy, especially electrochemical energy.