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Recent Advances in Earth‐Abundant Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting
Author(s) -
Hou Yang,
Zhuang Xiaodong,
Feng Xinliang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
small methods
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.66
H-Index - 46
ISSN - 2366-9608
DOI - 10.1002/smtd.201700090
Subject(s) - water splitting , oxygen evolution , catalysis , transition metal , materials science , oxide , graphene , heteroatom , nanotechnology , earth (classical element) , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , electrochemistry , photocatalysis , metallurgy , electrode , biochemistry , physics , mathematical physics , ring (chemistry) , organic chemistry , engineering
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has been considered as the most promising strategy to obtain hydrogen fuels and oxygen. Developing earth‐abundant heterogeneous electrocatalysts with high catalytic activity and stability is of great importance for achieving highly efficient water splitting. Here, an overview of the recent developments in the earth‐abundant heterogeneous electrocatalysts for PEC water splitting is presented. The main earth‐abundant electrocatalysts for the PEC hydrogen‐evolution reaction (PEC‐HER) include transition‐metal dichalcogenide (TMD)‐based materials, transition‐metal carbides/phosphatides, and N‐doped graphene, whereas the earth‐abundant PEC oxygen‐evolution reaction (PEC‐OER) electrocatalysts are focused on mixed transition‐metal oxides, TMD‐based materials, and transition‐metal‐ and/or heteroatom‐doped carbon catalysts. In addition, earth‐abundant bifunctional (HER/OER) electrocatalysts, including NiFe layered double hydroxide and Co–Mn oxide nanoparticles/nitrogen‐doped carbon frameworks, are introduced for overall water splitting. The strategies for improvement of the catalytic performance and the composition/structure–catalytic‐activity relationships are highlighted. Finally, current existing challenges and the future research directions for enhancing the PEC water‐splitting performance of earth‐abundant heterogeneous electrocatalysts are provided.