Electrochemical Hydrogen Production: Bridging Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis

Beyond platinum: A recently reported nickel-based molecular catalyst stands out as one of the best non-platinum-based catalysts developed for the electrochemical evolution of hydrogen. These findings are discussed within the framework of a simple theory for this reaction that has evolved from the Sabatier principle (see volcano plot in the picture, η is the thermodynamic overpotential, ΔG(H) is the binding energy of H to the catalyst) and recent DFT calculations.