Abstract:Metallic copper (Cu) has become one of the key materials in the field of energy storage and conversion due to its high electronic conductivity, low price, and environmental friendliness. However, the low catalytic activity and surface corrosion/oxidation of Cu limits its practical application in the field of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during water splitting. Modification of Cu by many strategies can optimize adsorption of reaction intermediates and enhance interfacial stability, thus the catalytic performance can be significantly improved. This paper briefly introduces the obstacles of Cu-based electrodes in HER application. Then the research progresses of Cu-based electrodes in the designation of single-atom structure, Cu-based composite materials, Cu alloying and heteroatom doping are summarized. The catalytic mechanisms of different catalysts during HER process were also analyzed in depth. The results show that the Cu site can be activated by modifying Cu, exposing more active area, and stabilizing the interface, during which the catalytic activity and stability are significantly improved. To further improve the application value of Cu-based electrodes in catalytic reaction, we should focus more attention on the modification methods.