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Catalysts
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Carbon-Based Materials Catalysts for Energy and Hydrogen Productions
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Carbon-Based Materials Catalysts for Energy and Hydrogen Productions

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalytic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 3769

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Kai Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
Interests: hydrogen evolution reaction; small molecule electrooxidation; electroreduction of nitrate; two-dimensional materials; precious metal materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores the rapidly advancing field of carbon-based materials as high-performance, sustainable catalysts for critical energy conversion processes, with a particular focus on hydrogen production. Facing the urgent need for clean energy transition, carbon materials including graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanodiamonds, activated carbon, carbon quantum dots, and doped/functionalized carbons offer compelling advantages. These include tunable surface chemistry, high specific surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, robust stability, and the potential for metal-free catalysis. Contributions will investigate the design, synthesis, characterization, and catalytic mechanisms of these materials in key reactions such as water electrolysis (HER/OER), photocatalytic water splitting, biomass reforming, and CO2 conversion to fuels. A core emphasis lies on enhancing catalytic activity, selectivity, and long-term durability for hydrogen generation and other energy-related processes while addressing challenges like scalability and cost-effectiveness. The issue aims to gather cutting-edge research showcasing innovative carbon catalyst architectures, heteroatom doping strategies, hybrid composites, and mechanistic insights, ultimately contributing to the development of efficient, durable, and environmentally benign alternatives to traditional precious-metal catalysts for sustainable energy solutions.

Dr. Kai Deng
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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 2200 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

  • carbon-based catalysts
  • electrochemical water splitting
  • photocatalytic water splitting
  • sustainable catalysis
  • renewable energy conversion
  • CO2 utilization
  • heteroatom doping
  • biomass conversion

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5893 KB  
Article
Overall Water Splitting Performance of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Oxide-Supported Fe-Co-Ni Single-Atom Catalysts
by Heng Yang, Chuang Zhu, Yongwei Zhang and Manting Gu
Catalysts 2025, 15(12), 1108; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121108 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 573
Abstract
Single-atom catalysts are highly efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting with exceptional atomic utilization, but atomic aggregation can impair their catalytic performance. To address this challenge, a Fe-Co-Ni single-atom bifunctional catalyst supported on nitrogen-doped graphene oxide was designed and employed for overall water splitting [...] Read more.
Single-atom catalysts are highly efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting with exceptional atomic utilization, but atomic aggregation can impair their catalytic performance. To address this challenge, a Fe-Co-Ni single-atom bifunctional catalyst supported on nitrogen-doped graphene oxide was designed and employed for overall water splitting in alkaline electrolyte. The catalyst’s composition, structure, and morphology were systematically characterized using XRD, XPS, SEM, and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). Electrochemical evaluations were performed to assess its activity and stability toward both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The results demonstrate that strong metal-nonmetal interactions between the Fe, Co and Ni single atoms and the nitrogen-doped graphene oxide support facilitate stable and uniform anchoring of the metal centers on the wrinkled carbon framework. The total metal loading reaches approximately 6.78 wt%, ensuring a high density of accessible active sites. Furthermore, synergistic electronic coupling among the Fe, Co, and Ni centers enhances charge transfer kinetics and modulates the D-band electronic states of the metal atoms. This effect weakens the adsorption strength of hydrogen and oxygen-containing intermediates, thus promoting faster reaction kinetics for both HER and OER. Consequently, the FeCoNi/CNG catalyst delivers low overpotentials of 77 mV for HER and 355 mV for OER at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline conditions. When integrated into an alkaline water electrolyzer, the system achieves a cell voltage of only 1.68 V to attain a current density of 10 mA cm−2, underscoring its outstanding bifunctional catalytic performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Materials Catalysts for Energy and Hydrogen Productions)
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Review

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36 pages, 5122 KB  
Review
Advanced Electrocatalyst Supports for High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: A Comprehensive Review of Materials, Degradation Mechanisms, and Performance Metrics
by Qingqing Liu, Huiyuan Liu, Weiqi Zhang, Qian Xu and Huaneng Su
Catalysts 2025, 15(9), 871; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15090871 - 11 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2964
Abstract
High-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) offer distinct advantages over their low-temperature counterparts. However, their commercial viability is significantly hampered by durability challenges stemming from electrocatalyst support degradation in the corrosive phosphoric acid environment. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of advanced [...] Read more.
High-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) offer distinct advantages over their low-temperature counterparts. However, their commercial viability is significantly hampered by durability challenges stemming from electrocatalyst support degradation in the corrosive phosphoric acid environment. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of advanced strategies to overcome this critical durability issue. Two main research directions are explored. The first involves engineering more robust carbon-based materials, including graphitized carbons, carbon nanostructures (nanotubes and graphene), and heteroatom-doped carbons, which enhance stability by modifying the carbon’s intrinsic structure and surface chemistry. The second direction focuses on replacing carbon entirely with intrinsically stable non-carbonaceous materials. These include metal oxides (e.g., TiO2, SnO2), transition metal carbides (e.g., WC, TiC), and nitrides (e.g., Nb4N5). For these non-carbon materials, a key focus is on overcoming their typically low electronic conductivity through strategies such as doping and the formation of multi-component composites. The analysis benchmarks the performance and durability of these advanced supports, concluding that rationally designed composite materials, which combine the strengths of different material classes, represent the most promising path toward developing next-generation, long-lasting catalysts for HT-PEMFCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon-Based Materials Catalysts for Energy and Hydrogen Productions)
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