The requirement of the active, durable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for various non-thermodynamical (TD) electrolysis is pertinent to achieve the favourable yields through the state-of-the-art processes: water splitting; ammonia; methanol; ethanol; and hydrazine electrolysis to produce the hydrogen and oxygen gases. All these electrochemical (EC) reactions are energy in-effective, as an input of energy is required to carry out the EC processes. Efficient materials are being developed to electrocatalyse such reactions and the thermodynamics of these EC probes need attuning to lower the energy cost. Synergies between the carbon materials and metals, or metal oxides, have been found to increase their efficiency and reduce the overall energy consumption. In recent reports multi-metal materials have been used to catalyse the water oxidation and reduction processes with a higher efficacy and lower over potential paradigms, while compositing the catalyst materials to transform them into a single synergistic material would require less thermodynamic barrier and boost the electrolysis capacity. The layered structures are also found to have enhanced surface area and catalytic activity; thereby can improve the performance of an electrolytic system. When composited with the active metals or their oxides, these structures can become more efficient and thermodynamically viable catalytic supports and media.
With the advent of new characterization techniques, the selection of the catalytic supports/materials has attained major significance and intrinsically active and durable nanomaterials are being developed to pursue the electrocatalysis for cost-effective production of the green fuel, H2 and/or oxygen by thermodynamically favouring the processes. The thermodynamic effectiveness is achieved by the low overpotential of the electrocatalysis by using versatile materials as catalytical supports. In comparison to the costly noble metals (oxides), robust nanomaterials including composites are being researched that can, not only yield the high output, but also catalyse the entire venue for the overall electrolysis in low overpotential ranges. Multi-metal materials including high to medium entropy alloys and oxides; their composites with MOFs; layered hydroxides; double hydroxides; phosphate nanostructures; and coated multi-metal oxide nanomaterials are supposedly the candidatures for the electrolysis processes with minimised overpotential and higher current densities.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Review Mini Review and Perspective articles, on the following, but not limited to, themes:
• Water electrolysis in the potential domains of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)
• Electrocatalysts for HER from ammonia; methanol; ethanol; hydrazine electrolysis
• Carbon-supported nanomaterials/composites with enhanced electrochemical performance
• The materials with low energy profiles and high performance for the above-mentioned processes
Keywords:
Electrocatalysts, Nanomaterials/composites, Water electrolysis, Methanol electrolysis, Hydrazine
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The requirement of the active, durable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for various non-thermodynamical (TD) electrolysis is pertinent to achieve the favourable yields through the state-of-the-art processes: water splitting; ammonia; methanol; ethanol; and hydrazine electrolysis to produce the hydrogen and oxygen gases. All these electrochemical (EC) reactions are energy in-effective, as an input of energy is required to carry out the EC processes. Efficient materials are being developed to electrocatalyse such reactions and the thermodynamics of these EC probes need attuning to lower the energy cost. Synergies between the carbon materials and metals, or metal oxides, have been found to increase their efficiency and reduce the overall energy consumption. In recent reports multi-metal materials have been used to catalyse the water oxidation and reduction processes with a higher efficacy and lower over potential paradigms, while compositing the catalyst materials to transform them into a single synergistic material would require less thermodynamic barrier and boost the electrolysis capacity. The layered structures are also found to have enhanced surface area and catalytic activity; thereby can improve the performance of an electrolytic system. When composited with the active metals or their oxides, these structures can become more efficient and thermodynamically viable catalytic supports and media.
With the advent of new characterization techniques, the selection of the catalytic supports/materials has attained major significance and intrinsically active and durable nanomaterials are being developed to pursue the electrocatalysis for cost-effective production of the green fuel, H2 and/or oxygen by thermodynamically favouring the processes. The thermodynamic effectiveness is achieved by the low overpotential of the electrocatalysis by using versatile materials as catalytical supports. In comparison to the costly noble metals (oxides), robust nanomaterials including composites are being researched that can, not only yield the high output, but also catalyse the entire venue for the overall electrolysis in low overpotential ranges. Multi-metal materials including high to medium entropy alloys and oxides; their composites with MOFs; layered hydroxides; double hydroxides; phosphate nanostructures; and coated multi-metal oxide nanomaterials are supposedly the candidatures for the electrolysis processes with minimised overpotential and higher current densities.
This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Review Mini Review and Perspective articles, on the following, but not limited to, themes:
• Water electrolysis in the potential domains of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)
• Electrocatalysts for HER from ammonia; methanol; ethanol; hydrazine electrolysis
• Carbon-supported nanomaterials/composites with enhanced electrochemical performance
• The materials with low energy profiles and high performance for the above-mentioned processes
Keywords:
Electrocatalysts, Nanomaterials/composites, Water electrolysis, Methanol electrolysis, Hydrazine
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.