The electrochemical reaction that involves the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas is the superior technique for sustainable energy conversion and storage without the environmentally damaging effects of fossil fuels. To date, a large number of electrocatalysts have been used for electrochemical water splitting (EWS). Nowadays, the quest for a universal pH stable bifunctional electrocatalyst that can efficiently enhance the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HERs and OERs) is gaining significant interest in the research community. This approach avoids the divergence in the pH of the electrolyte for OER and HER activity and effectively reduces the difficulty and system cost in practical EWS. This article highlights engineering strategies and challenges in designing prospective universal pH-stable electrocatalysts with feasible OER and HER pathways for full water splitting over a wide pH range.

涉及将水分解为氢气和氧气的电化学反应是用于可持续能源转换和存储而又不会对化石燃料造成环境破坏的高级技术。迄今为止，大量的电催化剂已用于电化学水分解（EWS）。如今，寻求一种通用的pH稳定的双功能电催化剂，该催化剂可以有效地增强氢和氧的释放反应（HER和OER），在研究界引起了广泛的兴趣。这种方法避免了OER和HER活性的电解质pH值的差异，并有效地降低了实际EWS中的难度和系统成本。