Recent Development of Nanostructured Nickel Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction: A Review

Carbon emission from burning fossil fuels associated with anthropogenic activities has caused severe environmental issues and extreme weather events linked to human-induced climate change. In recent years, scientists have been focusing on renewable energy resources for environmental remediation and green production to mitigate the harmful effects of a climate crisis. Electrochemical water splitting is emerging to produce green hydrogen from water electrolysis, which is considered a major fuel source for the future. In efforts to replace precious Pt-based electrocatalysts, nickel (Ni) metal-based materials have gained huge attraction due to their abundant availability, low price, and high activity. Herein, we summarized significant strategies and highlighted recent advances in electrochemical hydrogen generation from water splitting over Ni metal-based electrocatalysts, mainly categorized by type of Ni-based catalysts. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) insights have been analyzed and discussed via modern techniques, and then the correlation between catalytic performances and the tailor of electrocatalysts has been proposed. The conclusions and prospects with discussions of recent improvements, known technological hurdles, and promising opportunities for future discovery are presented. Graphical Abstract