Metal‐Rich Chalcogenides for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution: Activity of Electrodes and Bulk Materials
Daniel Siegmund, Niclas Blanc, Mathias Smialkowski, Kristina Tschulik, Ulf‐Peter Apfel
Abstract
Abstract Metal‐rich chalcogenides composed of highly abundant elements recently emerged as promising catalysts for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Many of these materials benefit from a high intrinsic conductivity as compared to their chalcogen‐rich congeners, greatly reducing the necessity for conductive additives or sophisticated nanostructuring. Herein, we showcase the high potential of metal‐rich transition‐metal chalcogenides for the electrocatalytic hydrogen formation by summarizing the recent progress achieved with M 9 S 8 (pentlandite type) and M 3 S 2 (heazlewoodite type) based materials, which represent the most frequently applied compositions for this purpose. By a detailed electrochemical comparison of bulk as well as pellet electrodes of metal‐rich Fe 4.5 Ni 4.5 S 8 , we also aim at raising awareness in the community for the inherent differences in catalytic properties of the materials themselves and those of the fabricated electrodes, a point that is often disregarded in reports on HER‐catalyst systems.