Routes to enhanced performance of electrolytic hydrogen evolution reaction over the carbon-encapsulated transition metal alloys

A substantial and steady decrease in the energy cost produced from renewable sources has revived interest in hydrogen production through water electrolysis. Deployment of electrolysis for H2 production is now closer to reality than ever before. Yet, several challenges associated with production cost, infrastructure, safety, storage, and so forth remain to be addressed. One of the overriding challenges is the production cost caused by a platinum electrode. To overcome such limitations, developing low-cost and stable electro­catalysts very close to the same electrode activity as platinum (Pt) metal is crucial to solving the efficiency issue in the process. Therefore, this review is in the direction of designing binary and ternary alloys of transition metal-based electrocatalysts anchored on carbon and focuses more on routes to enhance the performance of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The strategic routes to reduce overpotential and enhance electrocatalysts perfor­mance are discussed thoroughly in the light of HER mechanism and its derived descriptor.