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: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 700

Special Issue Editor


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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

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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 (1 paper)

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Review

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
Viewed by 570
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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