Abstract:Environmental pollution and energy crises are becoming increasingly severe, making the search for clean, efficient and sustainable energy sources a pressing concern. In recent years, hydrogen energy has gained significant attention as a green energy carrier with high energy density. Among various hydrogen production methods, water electrolysis has emerged as a promising approach for large-scale hydrogen generation due to its simplicity, high efficiency and minimal environmental impact. However, water electrolysis faces challenges such as high reaction overpotential and slow reaction kinetics. Reducing the required voltage for the water electrolysis process is crucial for achieving efficient hydrogen production. Currently, precious metals like platinum, iridium and ruthenium serve as benchmark catalysts for the cathode and anode in water electrolysis, offering excellent catalytic performance. However, their scarcity and high cost have significantly hindered the industrialization of water electrolysis. Therefore, developing efficient, cost-effective, and abundant non-precious metal-based catalysts for both the cathode and anode is vital for advancing water electrolysis technology. Layered bimetallic hydroxide (LDH) represent a new class of inorganic functional materials with a layered structure, known for their tunable composition, ease of preparation and large reactive surface area. LDHs play an important role in electrocatalytic decomposition of water, but they also face challenges such as poor stability, structureal curling, and unclear electrocatalytic reaction mechanisms that require urgent resolution. This paper provides an overview of the layered structure of LDHs and the mechanism of water electrolysis, with a focus on the modification methods of LDH, including elemental doping, heterostructure construction and hybrid engineering. The application of these modifications in water electrolysis is discussed, and the future prospects for water electrolysis catalysts are explored.
