Gallium-based materials for electrocatalytic and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction

Clean energy hydrogen is a promising substitute for traditional fossil fuels. Hydrogen production via electrocatalytic and photocatalytic water splitting is attracting much attention due to its environmental friendliness. Platinum-based materials are used to promote the kinetic rate for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the Pt usage is limited by their high price and low content. Much efforts have been put to replace them by non-precious metals. With low melting point and widest liquid temperature range, gallium is easily coupled with other metals or non-metals for constructing composite material for HER, However, systematic research on constructing gallium-based materials for HER is rare and this review could fill in certain gaps of related field. In this work, the preparation method and HER performance of gallium-based materials including gallium alloy, gallium phosphide and their composites, are summarized systematically. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of the structure influences of these gallium-based materials on electrocatalytic and photocatalytic HER performance. Moreover, possible challenges and prospects are also proposed for inspiring people to design excellent gallium-based materials for HER.