Noble Metal-Based Heterogeneous Catalysts for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
In this review, the authors comprehensively discuss the research progress of noble metal-based heterogeneous electrocatalysts used in water electrolysis for hydrogen production. From catalytic mechanism to material design, the author describes in detail all aspects of the influencing factors. The content is detailed and comprehensive, but there are still some problems that need to be paid attention to in order to improve the readability of the paper. It is recommended to receive the paper after minor revision.
1. Please provide more evidence to explain that the rate determining step of HER can be judged from the Tafel slope.
2. Please explain the difference between “annealing after liquid phase synthesis” and “direct liquid phase synthesis” on page 7, line 317?
3. There should be less description of 2D material itself on page 15.
4. More instances need to be supplied to explain the importance of HER and OER bifunctional catalysts on page 20, line 855.
5. There is at least one subscript error in the manuscript, such as, in page 7, Figure 3, “Hupd” would be “Hupd”. Please check the manuscript carefully.
6. Some of recently related works (e.g., DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00013b; 10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.04.050; 10.1002/anie.201712765; 10.1039/c8nr06740f; 10.1016/j.apcatb.2020.119412; 10.1002/anie.202108992) are recommended to be cited with rational discussion.
Author Response
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Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
At present, noble metal catalyst is the star material in hydrogen evolution reaction, but the stability and high cost restrict its large-scale application. The influence factors for hydrogen production performance were analyzed including electronic structures, alloying, interface phenomena and single atom efficiency. The manuscript is well-constructed it contains several important aspects. The Review is suitable for publication after minor supplementing.
1. Recently the role of metallic nanoparticles in heterogeneous catalysis was reviewed. Please mention it in the Introduction; Catalysis Letters 151, (2021) 2153-2175.
2. The composition of core-shell structure depends on the differences of the surface free enthalpy of the components. In many cases (for example for Rh-Au, Pt-Rh, Pt-Pd cases) the lowest surface free enthalpy metal likes to be shell. The structure and activity of alloy and core shell structure of bimetallic system is discussed in recent review; Surface Science Reports, 71 (2016) 473-546.
3. Single atom catalysis: The relationship of single metal atom coordination structures and catalytic properties is crucial for the fine-design of highly-efficient catalysts, but systematically manipulating the coordination structure (e.g., coordination numbers of metal atoms) without changing atomic dispersion is challenging. Please mention it and refer for recent papers in order to increase the level of manuscript: Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 445, 140808; and Angewandte Chemie 2022, https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202218167
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
The manuscript addresses a subject of the major importance for the actual environmental and economic concerns. The review focus on the catalysts for the hydrogen production by electrocatalysis and gives a nice picture of the important points that should be considered in their development. Although in some cases the discussion may be considered rather general by experts in the theme, it has the advantage of being accessible to a broader audience which is always useful for any interdisciplinary field of research. It is well written (apart from minor English mistakes), the references chosen are mostly recent references and seem adequate.
The only suggestion to the authors is improve the discussion on the sources of the electricity used for the hydrogen production. This process could possibly be environmentally and economically advantageous if the electricity is produced by renewals sources. Using electricity obtained by the burning of fossil fuels is not an option. Nowadays the electricity is not cheap at all, and the storage and transportation of hydrogen is far from being a simple matter. In some cases it would be better to use directly the electricity. Naturally, the search for better catalysts is a priority…
Author Response
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Reviewer 4 Report
The manuscript entitled “Noble Metal-based Heterogeneous Catalysts for Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution Reaction” submitted by Wei Zhou and co-workers for consideration for publication in the MDPI journal Applied Sciences, presents the review of the research progress of noble metal-based heterogeneous electrocatalysts used in water electrolysis for hydrogen production. The analysis of the influence factors for hydrogen production performance (the mass transfer process, the adsorption-desorption process, the catalytic process, and the influence of the working electrode and electrolyte) was presented. Discuss the relationship between catalytic activity and electronic structure and chemical composition in view of theoretical calculation and the strategies for developing efficient catalysts.
The subject of the presented manuscript is worth publishing, but its presentation needs revision. I recommend a minor revision of the submission. The following hints and questions are as follows:
1. All chemical equations must be revised, and the superscripts and subscripts must be presented according to IUPAC rules.
2. The quality of the Figures is really low, it should be revised.
3. The presentation of the manuscript should be improved, the punctuation marks (commas, dots) are missed in some places etc.
Author Response
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Author Response File: Author Response.docx
