The search for environmentally friendly and sustainable energy sources has become necessary to alleviate the issues associated with the consumption of fossil fuel such as air pollution and global warming. Furthermore, this is significant considering the exhaustible resources and burgeoning energy demand globally. In this regard, hydrogen, a clean fuel with high energy density, is considered a reliable alternative energy source. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is one of the most promising methods to produce green hydrogen from water on a large scale. However, the HER needs effective electrocatalysts to address the concerns of energy consumption; thus, finding active materials has recently been the main focus of researchers. Among the various electrocatalysts, nickel sulfides and phosphides and their derivatives with low cost, high abundance, and relatively straightforward preparation have shown high HER activity. In this review, we compare the diverse methods in the synthesis of nickel sulfides and phosphides together with effective synthesis parameters. Also, the optimum conditions for the preparation of the desired active materials and their properties are provided. Then, the performance of nickel sulfide and phosphide electrocatalysts in the HER is addressed. The HER activity of the various crystalline phases is compared, and their most active crystalline phases are introduced. Finally, the present challenges and perspectives for future HER electrocatalysts are presented.
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