Recent progress in electrode fabrication for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction: A mini review

Electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of great importance for high-efficiency, low-cost production of hydrogen. As the HER activity of catalysts has been significantly improved in recent years, the routings from catalysts to electrodes represent a key step for practical HER applications. In an HER electrode, hydrogen reduction is accomplished by electron transfer, proton diffusion and bubble release. These processes should be taken into account in the design, engineering and fabrication of the electrode. In this review, we begin with a discussion of the correlation between these important issues and the overall electrochemical HER performance, and then summarize recent progress in the design and fabrication of HER electrodes, with a focus on the effects of electrode structure, electrolyte penetration, ion diffusion and bubble adhesion/release on the HER performance. We conclude with a perspective of strategies for further enhancement and the critical challenges for HER electrode fabrication.