Abstract
Development of the clean and green energy sources is the most intensive research in the present energy crisis scenario. In this approach, hydrogen (H2) can be a promising source of clean energy due to its high energy density in molecular form. There are various methods for the H2 production such as water splitting by providing heat energy, partial oxidation, and steam reforming. The main drawback of these methods is that they leave behind carbon emission while H2 production. Electrolysis of water by the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) is more valuable and proficient method to produce H2 because it is of low cost and pollution free. The key point of the electrochemical water splitting to produce hydrogen is that its kinetics is slow. To enhance the H2 production, the HER kinetics need to be faster and for that an efficient electrocatalyst is required which must be earth abundant and cost effective. This book chapter covers the basics of electrochemical water splitting with providing a clear idea of the water-splitting mechanism via HER. Here, a fruitful discussion about the selection of electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting has been included with theoretical, computational, and experimental perspective. A detailed discussion has been carried out for the performances of various electrocatalysts for an effective water splitting in this book chapter.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology (SERB-DST), Govt. of India for providing research funds and computing facility under the project number ECR/2018/000255. Dr. Srimanta Pakhira acknowledges support from the SERB-DST, Govt. of India for providing his highly prestigious Ramanujan Faculty Fellowship under the scheme number SB/S2/RJN-067/2017. Mr. Upadhyay was supported by the Indian Institute of Technology Indore (IITI) and Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) Govt. of India. The authors would like to thank Ms. Stephanie Marxsen, Florida State University, Florida, USA for her helpful discussions.
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Upadhyay, S.N., Pakhira, S. (2022). Electrochemical Water Splitting: H2 Evolution Reaction. In: Kumar, P., Devi, P. (eds) Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Generation. Materials Horizons: From Nature to Nanomaterials. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7285-9_3
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