Recent progress in catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production: A comprehensive review

This review presents a comprehensive analysis of recent advancements in catalysts for sustainable hydrogen production, highlighting their essential role in enabling efficient and clean energy solutions. This study systematically examines a broad spectrum of catalytic systems, including noble metals, transition metals, photocatalysts, biological catalysts, and emerging nanostructured materials. Although noble metals such as platinum and palladium demonstrate superior catalytic activity, their limited availability and high costs underscore the increasing necessity for earth-abundant alternatives, such as nickel, cobalt, and their alloys. Recent advancements in photocatalysis and bio-inspired systems have offered promising opportunities for environmentally benign hydrogen generation, particularly through solar-driven and enzymatic processes. Despite significant progress, considerable challenges remain in achieving long-term catalyst stability, reducing reliance on scarce elements, and translating laboratory-scale performance into industrial scalability. Furthermore, the limited understanding of structure–activity relationships and the dynamic behavior of catalysts under real-world operating conditions hampers further optimization. This review identifies these critical research gaps and emphasizes the importance of developing hybrid catalytic architectures and employing advanced in-situ characterization techniques. By addressing these gaps, future research can enhance the design of durable, cost-effective, and scalable catalysts, ultimately contributing to the establishment of a sustainable hydrogen economy.