Recent Progress on Designing Non-noble Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers

As the global energy demand continues to grow, hydrogen is increasingly being recognized as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels. Water splitting is an eco-friendly method for producing green hydrogen, and various technologies have been explored. Among these, the Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer (AEMWE) is known for its cost advantage, because it can use non-noble metal catalysts. However, its performance still lags behind that of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers that use noble metals. To improve AEMWE efficiency, it is important to design non-noble metal catalysts that are equivalent to noble metal catalysts. Herein, we categorize various strategies for catalyst design based on recent trends. Additionally, we explain the components of the AEMWE and analyze its electrochemical performance based on different catalysts. We hope that this review will offer guide for future catalyst design by highlighting the key considerations for achieving high-performance non-noble catalysts in AEMWE systems.