Research progress of tellurides in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Hydrogen production by water electrolysis is a clean and efficient green hydrogen production technology, featuring high hydrogen production efficiency and high product purity. The key to improving the efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of this process lies in employing high-performance electrocatalysts that exhibit low overpotential and high current density for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Transition metal tellurides are expected to substitute for traditional precious metals due to their low cost, good stability, and excellent hydrogen evolution performance. These tellurides are divided into single metal tellurides and bimetallic tellurides, both of which have been widely studied as a result of their special spatial structures, high electrocatalytic activity, and excellent stability. This paper summarized the principle of hydrogen production from electrolytic water and the performance optimization of hydrogen evolution catalysts, with a primary focus on the research progress of single metal and bimetallic tellurides in electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of transition metal tellurides in this area were discussed and outlooked.