Properties, mechanisms and advantages of metallic glass for electrocatalysis and HER in water splitting: A review

H₂ is one of the most promising and attractive alternative energy sources for fossil fuels to solve the current energy crisis and environmental problems. Hydrogen production from water electrocatalysis has become one of the most popular hydrogen production methods due to its high purity and environmental friendliness. The most commonly used catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is powdered Pt/C. However, the scarcity and complicated post-treatment processes severely limit its industrial application. Therefore, it is a key challenge to develop low-cost, high-performance self-supporting catalytic electrodes. Recently, metallic glasses (abbreviated as MGs) ribbons have attracted great interest in catalytic applications due to their unique short-range ordered and long-range disordered atomic structures. The metastable properties of MGs offer great potential for their application in HER. Here, this review introduces the preparation, application first. Secondly, we introduce the advantages and application progress of MGs as HER catalytic electrodes. Then, we summarize the factors affecting the catalytic performance of MGs in HER process. Finally, current challenges and future development prospects for realizing highly active and durable electrocatalysts are presented. This review aims to provide a guide for designing and developing MGs with high HER performance.