(Invited) Catalysts for Low-Temperature Electrochemical Hydrogen Production and Hydrogenation Reactions

Abstract

Electrochemical transformation of molecules is not only a low-carbon approach for producing valuable chemicals and fuels, but also a long-duration energy storage solution at scale for renewable power. Materials development especially electrocatalysts plays a critical role in enabling these processes with high efficiency. In this paper, we will present our recent progress on catalyst development for electrochemical hydrogen production and hydrogenation reactions. We will discuss hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts based on both platinum group metals (PGM) and earth abundant elements in various pH conditions, with a emphasis on the synergy between different components within certain catalysts in hope to reveal new mechanisms for catalyst design and development. We will also discuss electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of organic molecules from e.g., biomass. From these studies, we observed some correlation between different reactions which may be useful to bridge heterogenous and homogenous electrocatalytic reaction processes and promote catalyst design in both fields.