Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.2
3.4
Journals
Materials
Special Issues
Advances in ORR & OER Electrocatalysts
materials-logo
Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in ORR & OER Electrocatalysts

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2022) | Viewed by 14205

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Diana M. Fernandes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
REQUIMTE-LAQV, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
Interests: electrocatalysis; energy-related reactions; nanochemistry and nanotechnology; materials chemistry; CO2 valorization; carbon-based materials; metal oxides; biomass
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The current global energy crisis and the negative environmental impacts resulting from the incessant use of fossil fuels have driven scientists to develop novel renewable energy storage and conversion technologies, such as fuel cells, water splitting devices, and metal–air batteries. Electrocatalysis plays a key role in these clean energy devices, enabling the development of several sustainable processes for future technologies. However, the design of highly efficient and cost-effective materials is one of the current major challenges in this field. The commonly employed technologies are expensive due to the use of noble metal-based electrocatalysts, but from the tremendous research efforts, several highly active and stable new materials have emerged.

This Special Issue aims to cover the latest advances on emerging oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts, including their synthesis and characterization, evaluation of their electrocatalytic performances, as well as a theoretical understanding of ORR and OER that affords rational design strategies for high performance ORR/OER electrocatalysts.

It is my pleasure to invite you to submit a full paper, detailed review, mini-review or significant preliminary communication related to ORR/OER electrocatalysts.

Dr. Diana M. Fernandes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)
  • oxygen evolution reaction (OER)
  • electrocatalysts
  • electrode materials
  • fuel cells
  • energy conversion
  • energy storage

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 1874 KiB  
Article
Nanocomposites Prepared from Carbon Nanotubes and the Transition Metal Dichalcogenides WS2 and MoS2 via Surfactant-Assisted Dispersions as Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reactions
by Pedro Ferreira, Bárbara Abreu, Cristina Freire, Diana M. Fernandes and Eduardo F. Marques
Materials 2021, 14(4), 896; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14040896 - 13 Feb 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2573
Abstract
Fuel cells are emerging devices as clean and renewable energy sources, provided their efficiency is increased. In this work, we prepared nanocomposites based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), namely WS2 and MoS2, and evaluated their [...] Read more.
Fuel cells are emerging devices as clean and renewable energy sources, provided their efficiency is increased. In this work, we prepared nanocomposites based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), namely WS2 and MoS2, and evaluated their performance as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), relevant to fuel cells. The one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) building blocks were initially exfoliated and non-covalently functionalized by surfactants of opposite charge in aqueous media (tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, TTAB, for the nanotubes and sodium cholate, SC, for the dichalcogenides), and thereafter, the three-dimensional (3D) MoS2@MWNT and WS2@MWNT composites were assembled via surfactant-mediated electrostatic interactions. The nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and structural differences were found. WS2@MWNT and MoS2@MWNT show moderate ORR performance with potential onsets of 0.71 and 0.73 V vs. RHE respectively, and diffusion-limiting current densities of −1.87 and −2.74 mA·cm−2, respectively. Both materials present, however, better tolerance to methanol crossover when compared to Pt/C and good stability. Regarding OER performance, MoS2@MWNT exhibits promising results, with η10 and jmax of 0.55 V and 17.96 mA·cm−2, respectively. The fabrication method presented here is cost-effective, robust and versatile, opening the doors for the optimization of electrocatalysts’ performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in ORR & OER Electrocatalysts)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 4383 KiB  
Article
Facile Synthesis of Co3O4@CoO@Co Gradient Core@Shell Nanoparticles and Their Applications for Oxygen Evolution and Reduction in Alkaline Electrolytes
by Shih-Cheng Chou, Kuang-Chih Tso, Yi-Chieh Hsieh, Bo-Yao Sun, Jyh-Fu Lee and Pu-Wei Wu
Materials 2020, 13(12), 2703; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13122703 - 13 Jun 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2954
Abstract
We demonstrate a facile fabrication scheme for Co3O4@CoO@Co (gradient core@shell) nanoparticles on graphene and explore their electrocatalytic potentials for an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolytes. The synthetic approach begins with the [...] Read more.
We demonstrate a facile fabrication scheme for Co3O4@CoO@Co (gradient core@shell) nanoparticles on graphene and explore their electrocatalytic potentials for an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolytes. The synthetic approach begins with the preparation of Co3O4 nanoparticles via a hydrothermal process, which is followed by a controlled hydrogen reduction treatment to render nanoparticles with radial constituents of Co3O4/CoO/Co (inside/outside). X-ray diffraction patterns confirm the formation of crystalline Co3O4 nanoparticles, and their gradual transformation to cubic CoO and fcc Co on the surface. Images from transmission electron microscope reveal a core@shell microstructure. These Co3O4@CoO@Co nanoparticles show impressive activities and durability for OER. For ORR electrocatalysis, the Co3O4@CoO@Co nanoparticles are subjected to a galvanic displacement reaction in which the surface Co atoms undergo oxidative dissolution for the reduction of Pt ions from the electrolyte to form Co3O4@Pt nanoparticles. With commercial Pt/C as a benchmark, we determine the ORR activities in sequence of Pt/C > Co3O4@Pt > Co3O4. Measurements from a rotation disk electrode at various rotation speeds indicate a 4-electron transfer path for Co3O4@Pt. In addition, the specific activity of Co3O4@Pt is more than two times greater than that of Pt/C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in ORR & OER Electrocatalysts)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 5019 KiB  
Article
Metal Oxide (Co3O4 and Mn3O4) Impregnation into S, N-doped Graphene for Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR)
by Penny Mathumba, Diana M. Fernandes, Renata Matos, Emmanuel I. Iwuoha and Cristina Freire
Materials 2020, 13(7), 1562; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13071562 - 28 Mar 2020
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3656
Abstract
To address aggravating environmental and energy problems, active, efficient, low-cost, and robust electrocatalysts (ECs) are actively pursued as substitutes for the current noble metal ECs. Therefore, in this study, we report the preparation of graphene flakes (GF) doped with S and N using [...] Read more.
To address aggravating environmental and energy problems, active, efficient, low-cost, and robust electrocatalysts (ECs) are actively pursued as substitutes for the current noble metal ECs. Therefore, in this study, we report the preparation of graphene flakes (GF) doped with S and N using 2-5-dimercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole (S3N2) as precursor followed by the immobilization of cobalt spinel oxide (Co3O4) or manganese spinel oxide (Mn3O4) nanoparticles through a one-step co-precipitation procedure (Co/S3N2–GF and Mn/S3N2–GF). Characterization by different physicochemical techniques (Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD)) of both composites shows the preservation of the metal oxide spinel structure and further confirms the successful preparation of the envisaged electrocatalysts. Co/S3N2–GF composite exhibits the best ORR performance with an onset potential of 0.91 V vs. RHE, a diffusion-limiting current density of −4.50 mA cm−2 and selectivity for the direct four-electron pathway, matching the results obtained for commercial Pt/C. Moreover, both Co/S3N2–GF and Mn/S3N2–GF showed excellent tolerance to methanol poisoning and good stability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in ORR & OER Electrocatalysts)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 2494 KiB  
Article
FeS2/C Nanowires as an Effective Catalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction by Electrolytic Water Splitting
by Kefeng Pan, Yingying Zhai, Jiawei Zhang and Kai Yu
Materials 2019, 12(20), 3364; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma12203364 - 15 Oct 2019
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3366
Abstract
Electrolytic water splitting with evolution of both hydrogen (HER) and oxygen (OER) is an attractive way to produce clean energy hydrogen. It is critical to explore effective, but low-cost electrocatalysts for the evolution of oxygen (OER) owing to its sluggish kinetics for practical [...] Read more.
Electrolytic water splitting with evolution of both hydrogen (HER) and oxygen (OER) is an attractive way to produce clean energy hydrogen. It is critical to explore effective, but low-cost electrocatalysts for the evolution of oxygen (OER) owing to its sluggish kinetics for practical applications. Fe-based catalysts have advantages over Ni- and Co-based materials because of low costs, abundance of raw materials, and environmental issues. However, their inefficiency as OER catalysts has caused them to receive little attention. Herein, the FeS2/C catalyst with porous nanostructure was synthesized with rational design via the in situ electrochemical activation method, which serves as a good catalytic reaction in the OER process. The FeS2/C catalyst delivers overpotential values of only 291 mV and 338 mV current densities of 10 mA/cm2 and 50 mA/cm2, respectively, after electrochemical activation, and exhibits staying power for 15 h. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in ORR & OER Electrocatalysts)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop