article · European Polymer Journal
Clean hydrogen production via water splitting offers a promising source of energy, but overall process efficiency relies heavily on electrocatalysts. Polyaniline serves as an alternative to replace commonly used platinum group metal electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Enhancing the performance of polyaniline involves several structural and chemical modification approaches. Key methods include formulating polyaniline derivatives, synthesising copolymers, and creating nanocomposites that combine polyaniline with functional secondary materials. These additive materials include metal nanoparticles, oxides, phosphides, dichalcogenides, carbon materials, and metal-organic frameworks. Understanding these synthetic routes and structural characteristics provides critical pathways for overcoming performance bottlenecks in conducting polymer electrocatalysts for clean hydrogen fuel generation.
Generating clean hydrogen through water splitting is a central pursuit for sustainable energy systems, yet conventional processes depend on scarce, expensive precious metals. Exploring conducting polymers like polyaniline provides a pathway to lower the capital cost of hydrogen production, helping to make green fuel generation more economically accessible as technical barriers are resolved.
This work informs early-stage research into low-cost materials for water-splitting electrolysers. Potential future users include industrial hydrogen producers and electrolyser manufacturers looking to decrease reliance on expensive platinum group metals. Because the focus remains on material synthesis, structural design, and basic performance challenges, the technology is at an early laboratory stage and remains distant from immediate market deployment.
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The impact of hydrogen energy on new technology is significant and astounding. However, the environmentally friendly and clean production of hydrogen energy is being investigated and challenged. Water splitting has been regarded as a dazzling and significant source of hydrogen energy, the efficiency of which is highly dependent on the electrocatalysts. Polyaniline (PANI) has been considered as an alternative to replace the commonly used PGM-based electrocatalysts. In this review, the fundamentals and measurement descriptors of HER are briefly introduced. This was followed by closer look at the structure of PANI as well as their synthetic route. Moreover, the strategies to improve HER properties of PANI which include preparation of polyaniline derivatives, copolymers and nanocomposites of PANI with secondary materials such as metal nanoparticles, oxides, phosphide, dichalcogenides, carbon materials and metal organic frameworks comprehensively looked at. Finally, the challenges, solutions and prospects of PANI as HER electrocatalysts are highlighted.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2024.113125
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