Structural Engineering of Electrocatalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction: Order or Disorder?

Electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution has been regarded as a promising strategy to realize efficient hydrogen production to face the energy crisis in the future. Hence, the design of hydrogen-evolving catalysts with high activity and low cost is imperative. In this Minireview article, state-of-the-art electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are overviewed, and the strategies for constructing ordered and disordered HER electrocatalysts are summarized in detail. By means of facet engineering, nanoscale, polymorph engineering accompanied by interface engineering, HER catalysts with an ordered structure could be optimized. For designing disordered catalysts, defect engineering, amorphization, elemental doping, and surface modification, as well as constructingan alloyed structure, could be effective to realize the beneficial modulation of active sites and electronic structure. This Minireview provides a structural perspective for the design of efficient HER electrocatalysts in the future.