Transition Metal Oxides as Hydrogen Evolution Electrocatalyst: Scientometric Analysis

Background: The development of cost-effective and high-activity hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts is limiting the implementation of hydrogen production from electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting, which is seen as a potential technology for clean energy production and long-term energy storage. Transition metal oxide catalysts, a large class of functional materials with variable elemental compositions and crystal shapes, have piqued the interest of scientists. Now, a scientific-based appraisal of the progress in this scientific field is required, as well as identification of the most promising materials and technologies, as well as present constraints and future commercialization chances. Method: This article presents a scientometric analysis of transition metal oxides as hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts in the scientific field. 1421 publications from the Web of Science (WoS) database were extracted using a mix of relevant keywords and examined using multiple scientometric indexes utilizing Python and Anaconda Prompt, ScientoPy, and Citespace. It stated that the first point on this subject was in 1992 and that scientific progress has substantially increased since 2015. Results: Articles and reviews account for 83.8 percent and 13.4 percent of all items published in this category, respectively. Conclusion: The top two contributor countries were identified as China and the United States. The most active journal in this field is Journal of Materials Chemistry A.