Electrochemical dealloying-assisted activity enhancement: The next big thing in water electrosplitting!

Developing highly active electrocatalysts is one of the areas through which we can minimize the huge energy loss, the main demerit of water electrolysis for the production of ultrapure hydrogen. Though the theoretical threshold (1.23 V) can't be breached directly, the innovative design of electrocatalysts and their in-situ activation could help us minimize the gap between the theoretical threshold and the practically achievable potentials. One such innovative thing that has emerged very recently is the electrochemical dealloying or leaching of a part of the catalyst. This strategy creates abundant new active sites while increasing the electrochemical surface area (ECSA), eventually resulting in humongous activity enhancements. However, this strategy is not devoid of de -merits. It does suffer from poor stability, redeposition of leached components as an inactive entity on the anode, and creating a hostile environment in the electrolyte solution that may promote catalyst corrosion. This review critically analyzes both the merits and demerits while also providing future directions along with the basics of water electrolysis and the recent trends in catalyst design.

Automated summary

By designing innovative electrocatalysts and activating them in-situ, the gap between theoretical and practically achievable potentials in water electrolysis for hydrogen production can be minimized. However, this strategy faces challenges such as poor stability and creating a hostile environment in the electrolyte solution.