Novel Extended Surface Electrocatalysts

Dear Colleagues,

Electrocatalysis can be used in a large number of reactions for a variety of industrial processes and emerging technologies. For energy-related applications in particular, catalysis and catalyst development are critical as enabling elements in these technologies and to improve commercial implementation. Nanostructured and extended surface catalysts can be used to improve reaction kinetics, efficiency, and component cost by focusing on site quality and have been used in the development of materials for fuel cells, electrolyzers, metal–air batteries, and fuel and chemical synthesis, including ammonia production and carbon dioxide reduction.

Nanostructured and extended surface catalysts can provide benefits to electrocatalysis beyond nanoparticles. Often, this class of material produces site-specific activities an order of magnitude greater than conventional catalysts. Improved kinetics has been accomplished by tuning surface structure, including the purposeful inclusion of facets, or nanostructures avoiding less active or stable surfaces. Activity improvements have also been achieved by incorporating additional components and altering binding through alloying effects and altering lattice parameters, and facilitating intermediate adsorption/desorption with species at or near the surface. Additionally, this class of material in cases has shown the ability to improve catalyst durability, where nanostructures have slowed loss due to aggregation and agglomeration, and where structure modification has slowed loss due to catalyst or support dissolution.

As nanostructures have become increasingly vital in catalyst development strategies, this Special Issue is focused on “Novel Nanostructures and Extended Surface Electrocatalysts”. Several aspects of nanomaterial development are of primary importance to this Special Issue and include the synthesis and characterization of extended surfaces and nanostructures. Fundamental studies related to strategies for improve activity or durability, including surface structure and alloying, and studies related to the mechanism for improvement are also of critical importance.

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. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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.

• extended surfaces
• catalysis
• electrochemistry