Recent advances in structural engineering of 2D hexagonal boron nitride electrocatalysts

Highly Durable and Efficient Ni-FeOx/FeNi3 Electrocatalysts Synthesized by a Facile In Situ Combustion-Based Method for Overall Water Splitting with Large Current Densities

“…Hydrogen gas (H 2 ) is an attractive, clean energy source and provides a desirable solution as a carbon-free and high mass–energy density (three times that of gasoline) fuel. − Electrolysis of water in which H 2 /O 2 is generated by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is expected to be widely applied in sustainable and green hydrogen production when it is powered by renewable energy generated by sunlight, wind, running water, ocean energy, etc. − Nevertheless, the unfavorable thermodynamics and sluggish kinetics of common catalysts for HER and OER lead to high electricity consumption and make this technology far from being competitive with commercial coal gasification and steam methane reformation . To accelerate the development, advanced noble metal-based materials such as platinum- and Ru/Ir-derived electrocatalysts with high intrinsic activity are mainly used to lower the overpotential (η) of HER/OER at respective electrodes. − However, the natural scarcity, high cost, and low durability in long-term applications have impeded extensive implementation, and therefore, significant attention has been paid to identifying low-cost, earth-abundant, and efficient electrocatalysts including alloys, oxides, sulfides, nitrides, carbides, phosphides, and hydroxides to replace noble metals. ,− Although progress has been made recently to enhance the efficiency and stability, only a handful of catalysts possess high and stable activities in the same electrolyte in both OER and HER, thereby raising the production cost , and making the electrolyzer relatively complex . In this regard, developing low-cost and high-efficiency dual-functional catalysts for the two half-reactions in the same electrolyte is highly desirable for commercial water splitting.…”

Recent insights into BCN nanomaterials – synthesis, properties and applications

“…The exceptional electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical properties of graphene have motivated research in analogous materials such as boron nitride (BN) and boron carbide (B 4 C) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). [3][4][5][6] Monolayer boron and boron-based metal organic materials also show potential for application in various fields such as gas sensors, catalysis, energy storage, etc. [7][8][9] One more exciting layered material is boron carbon nitride (BCN) which has gained research consideration over the past few years.…”

Space‐Confined Anchoring of Fe−Nx on Concave N‐Doped Carbon Cubes for Catalyzing Oxygen Reduction

“…[7][8][9] Hence, plenty of work has been done on exploring high-activity and cheap Pt-free electrocatalysts, including, for example, metal carbides, [10][11][12][13][14][15] oxides, [16][17][18][19][20] and nitrides. [21][22][23][24][25] Among such catalysts, FeÀ NÀ C materials exhibit the most outstanding intrinsic ORR activity in both alkaline and acid electrolytes. [26,27] The preparations of atom-dispersed FeÀ NÀ C catalysts have been studied extensively by researchers.…”

“…To date, platinum (Pt)‐based catalysts are the benchmark electrocatalysts, but their large‐scale application suffers from high cost, supply scarcity, and poor stability [7–9] . Hence, plenty of work has been done on exploring high‐activity and cheap Pt‐free electrocatalysts, including, for example, metal carbides, [10–15] oxides, [16–20] and nitrides [21–25] . Among such catalysts, Fe−N−C materials exhibit the most outstanding intrinsic ORR activity in both alkaline and acid electrolytes [26,27] .…”