Water electrolysis currently accounts for approximately 4% of the global hydrogen production volume, indicating there is a significant room to provide more low-carbon hydrogen with this technology. At present, alkaline electrolysis of water emerges as the most promising technology to realize large-scale green hydrogen production. Electrocatalysts that can operate efficiently and stably at high current density have become a major constraint in moving towards industrialization. In this review, we summarize and discuss the mechanisms and low-cost catalysts reported so far for the electrolytic water reaction under alkaline conditions. Subsequently, based on the requirements and theoretical guidance for its application at high current densities, we further introduce strategies to enhance the performance and stability of electrocatalysts. Finally, we undertake an outlook on the prospective challenges and opportunities beyond the electrolytic hydrogen generation technology. It concludes that the deployment and economization of hydrogen energy technologies must be accelerated at this stage in order to facilitate their widespread penetration and use in a wide range of industries.

中文翻译：

---

从电催化剂的角度看碱性水分解的未来——抓住今天的机会


电解水目前约占全球氢气产量的 4%，这表明该技术在提供更多低碳氢气方面还有很大的空间。目前，碱性电解水成为实现大规模绿色氢气生产最有前途的技术。能够在高电流密度下高效稳定运行的电催化剂已成为迈向工业化的主要制约因素。在本文中，我们总结并讨论了迄今为止报道的碱性条件下电解水反应的机理和低成本催化剂。随后，根据其在高电流密度下应用的要求和理论指导，我们进一步介绍了提高电催化剂性能和稳定性的策略。最后，我们对电解制氢技术之外的潜在挑战和机遇进行了展望。报告得出的结论是，现阶段必须加快氢能技术的部署和经济化，以促进其在广泛行业中的广泛渗透和使用。