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15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis
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15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 3248

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Vincenzo Baglio

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Guest Editor
CNR-ITAE Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies “N. Giordano”, Via Salita S. Lucia sopra Contesse 5, 98126 Messina, Italy
Interests: polymer electrolyte fuel cells; direct alcohol fuel cells; water electrolysis; metal–air batteries; dye-sensitized solar cells; photo-electrolysis; carbon dioxide electro-reduction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jiefang Zhu

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Guest Editor
Angstrom Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Interests: photocatalysis; electrocatalysis; metal–oxygen batteries; metal–sulfur batteries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Hamish Andrew Miller

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (ICCOM), Italian National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
Interests: fuel cells; energy; hydrogen; catalysis; electrocatalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of significant and continuing progress in the field of electrocatalysis for Catalysts, we are pleased to announce a Special Issue dedicated to showcasing the latest breakthroughs and insights in this rapidly evolving area. This milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on recent advancements and to highlight innovative research driving the development of sustainable energy technologies.

We invite contributions that explore cutting-edge developments in electrocatalysis as applied to a wide range of energy conversion and storage systems, including—but not limited to—fuel cells, water electrolyzers, metal–air batteries, photoelectrochemical devices, dye-sensitized solar cells, and bioelectrochemical systems (both microbial and enzymatic). These technologies are widely regarded as critical components of the future sustainable energy landscape.

Despite the growing promise of these systems, achieving practical, large-scale implementation remains a challenge—particularly due to the need for electrocatalysts that are not only highly active and durable but also cost-effective and scalable. The design and optimization of such electrocatalysts remain central to advancing the real-world performance and commercial viability of electrochemical energy devices.

We warmly welcome the submission of original research articles, short communications, and comprehensive reviews that contribute to scientific and technological progress in this field. Your work will play a vital role in shaping the future of clean and efficient energy solutions.

Dr. Vincenzo Baglio
Dr. Jiefang Zhu
Dr. Hamish Andrew Miller
Guest Editors

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

  • electrocatalysis
  • energy conversion and storage systems
  • fuel cells
  • water electrolysis
  • metal–air batteries
  • photoelectrochemical devices
  • dye-sensitized solar cells
  • bioelectrochemical systems

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 8479 KB  
Article
New Mechanism for the Enhancement of the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Stepped Platinum and Platinum–Iron Surfaces
by Donald A. Tryk
Catalysts 2026, 16(4), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16040311 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 358
Abstract
It has long been recognized that the oxygen reduction reaction occurs more readily on Pt(111) surfaces that include steps, both (111) and (100), than on near-perfect Pt(111). Theoretical models were developed involving the water structure in the electric double layer and its interactions [...] Read more.
It has long been recognized that the oxygen reduction reaction occurs more readily on Pt(111) surfaces that include steps, both (111) and (100), than on near-perfect Pt(111). Theoretical models were developed involving the water structure in the electric double layer and its interactions with adsorbed OH, with the actual O2 reduction occurring on the (111) terraces adjacent to the steps. However, the present density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirms that O2 adsorbs strongly at the steps and can undergo dissociation aided by adjacent water molecules to produce adsorbed OH. OH produced at the steps can move to the (111) terraces, where it can be more readily reduced to H2O and desorbed. This model avoids the scaling relation, which predicts that all oxygen-containing reactants and intermediates are proportional to each other on any given surface, i.e., strong O2 adsorption at steps compared with water ensures that the reaction can proceed. Efforts to develop new O2 reduction catalysts have been hampered by the assumption that the reaction rate can be increased by decreasing OH adsorption strength, even though decreased OH adsorption strength is accompanied by decreased O2 adsorption strength on any given crystallographic facet. This proposed model can explain the experimental results on stepped surfaces as well as nanoparticle catalysts, particularly the higher ORR activity on alloys such as PtFe, but with the obligatory presence of steps. The results may also be important for the development of Pt nanoparticle catalysts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis)
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18 pages, 3268 KB  
Article
Enhanced Hydrogen Concurrent Production via Urea Solution Electrolysis Using Mesoporous Nickel Tungstate Precipitated from a Surfactant Template
by Mohamed A. Ghanem, Weaam Al-Sulmi, Abdullah M. Al-Mayouf, Nouf H. Alotaibi and Ivan P. Parkin
Catalysts 2026, 16(3), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16030258 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 611
Abstract
The manipulation of the electrocatalyst nanoarchitecture, particularly transition metal compounds, regarding size, shape, facets, and composition, significantly enhances the electrocatalytic activity in energy transformations. This study introduces a novel methodology for the precipitation of mesoporous nanoparticles of nickel tungstate (meso-NiWO4) using [...] Read more.
The manipulation of the electrocatalyst nanoarchitecture, particularly transition metal compounds, regarding size, shape, facets, and composition, significantly enhances the electrocatalytic activity in energy transformations. This study introduces a novel methodology for the precipitation of mesoporous nanoparticles of nickel tungstate (meso-NiWO4) using direct chemical deposition from a template of Brij®78 surfactant liquid crystal. Physicochemical analyses revealed the formation of amorphous meso-NiWO4 nanoparticles with dual sizes of 10 ± 3 and 120 ± 8 nm and a specific surface area of 34.2 m2/g, exceeding that of nickel tungstate deposited in the absence of surfactant (bare-NiWO4, 4.0 m2/g). The meso-NiWO4 nanoparticles exhibit improved electrocatalytic stability, reduced charge-transfer resistance (Rct = 1.11 ohm), and a current mass activity of ~365 mA/cm2 mg at 1.6 V vs. RHE during the electrolysis of urea in alkaline solution. Furthermore, by employing meso-NiWO4 in a two-electrode urea electrolyzer, a remarkable 4.8-fold increase in the cathodic hydrogen concurrent production rate was achieved (373.40 µmol/h at a bias potential of 2.0 V), compared to that of the bare-NiWO4 catalyst. The exceptional urea oxidation electroactivity and the enhanced hydrogen evolution rate arise from substantial specific surface area and mesoporous structure, facilitating effective charge transfer and mass transport through the meso-NiWO4 catalyst. Using the surfactant liquid crystal template for electrocatalyst synthesis enables a one-pot deposition of diverse nanoarchitectures and compositions with high surface area at ambient conditions for an improved electrocatalytic and hydrogen green production process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis)
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21 pages, 5115 KB  
Article
Nafion-Treated Nickel Oxide/Graphene (Nafion-NiOx/GP) Electrocatalysts for Dopamine Detection
by Georgia Balkourani, Carmelo Lo Vecchio, Vincenzo Baglio, Angeliki Brouzgou and Panagiotis Tsiakaras
Catalysts 2026, 16(3), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16030217 - 1 Mar 2026
Viewed by 638
Abstract
Herein, (Nafion-treated) (30 wt%) NiOx/graphene (GP) were prepared at 250 °C and 450 °C and investigated as materials for dopamine electrochemical detection. Initially, characterization of the samples was performed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron [...] Read more.
Herein, (Nafion-treated) (30 wt%) NiOx/graphene (GP) were prepared at 250 °C and 450 °C and investigated as materials for dopamine electrochemical detection. Initially, characterization of the samples was performed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Subsequently, they underwent electrochemical evaluation using cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and chronoamperometry (CA) techniques. All electrochemical measurements of the dopamine oxidation reaction (DOR) were performed in a 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (PBS) at pH of 7.00 and at temperature of 36.6 °C. It was found that Nafion addition to the electrocatalysts surface facilitates access of the cationic dopamine molecule to their active centers being attributed to Nafion cation permeability. Nafion-NiO250/GP exhibited higher activity towards the DOR reaction. The limit of detection (LOD) for the lower linear range of 0.5–10 μM was calculated to be 0.8 μM, with a sensitivity of 3.086 μA μM−1cm−2. Furthermore, the Nafion NiO250/GP/GC electrode exhibited high selectivity towards DA, as well as good repeatability and reproducibility with an acceptable level of deviation, and excellent storage stability. The six electrodes produced from the Nafion-NiO250/GP showed 8.28% reproducibility (RSD), indicating adequate behavior, while the same electrode after six measurements over a 30-day period showed an RSD of 5.50%, indicating a reliable electrode. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis)
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11 pages, 1140 KB  
Article
Simple Synthesis of Ultrasmall Pt5La Nanoalloy for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction
by Run Cai, Wenjie Bi, Jiayi Liao, Shuwen Yang, Jiewei Yin, Jun Zhu, Xiangzhe Liu, Yang Liu and Zhong Ma
Catalysts 2026, 16(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010097 - 18 Jan 2026
Viewed by 530
Abstract
Pt-rare earth metal (Pt-RE) alloys are considered to be one of the most promising electrocatalysts for producing oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) due to their compressively strained Pt overlayer and their exceptional negative-alloy formation energies, which result in excellent activity and stability. However, there [...] Read more.
Pt-rare earth metal (Pt-RE) alloys are considered to be one of the most promising electrocatalysts for producing oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) due to their compressively strained Pt overlayer and their exceptional negative-alloy formation energies, which result in excellent activity and stability. However, there are still great challenges in the chemical synthesis of Pt-RE nanoalloys. Herein, we report a simple method employing the nanopores of porous carbon as nanoreactors to synthesize a Pt5La nanoalloy. The Pt5La alloy nanoparticles are embedded in porous carbon (Pt5La@C) with a particle size of around 1–3 nm and also exhibit a very narrow size distribution because of the confined-space effect. The as-prepared Pt5La@C nanoalloy exhibits highly efficient ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.912 V in 0.1 M HClO4, which is 56 mV higher than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Moreover, it achieves an improved intrinsic activity of 0.69 mA cm−2 and, a mass activity of 0.42 A mgPt−1 at 0.90 V. In addition, it also delivers a very stable lifespan performance, with negligible decay in half-wave potential after accelerated stress testing for 10,000 cycles. This work also provides a new method for the development of promising Pt-RE nanoalloys with ultrasmall nanoparticles with a very narrow size distribution for various efficient energy-conversion devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis)
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12 pages, 1980 KB  
Article
Correlating Boron Existence Morphologies with Electrocatalytic HER Activity in Ni-B Compounds Synthesized via High Pressure and High Temperature
by Xinrong Guo, Rui Bao, Jiawen Lv, Li Bai, Guiqian Sun, Huilian Liu, Pinwen Zhu, Yanli Chen, Maobin Wei and Qiang Tao
Catalysts 2026, 16(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010065 - 6 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 688
Abstract
Nickel boride compounds have attracted considerable attention in the field of electrocatalysis due to their unique electronic structures and excellent chemical stability. However, the difficulty in obtaining single-phase products under traditional experimental conditions hinders the analysis of their intrinsic catalytic performance. Herein, we [...] Read more.
Nickel boride compounds have attracted considerable attention in the field of electrocatalysis due to their unique electronic structures and excellent chemical stability. However, the difficulty in obtaining single-phase products under traditional experimental conditions hinders the analysis of their intrinsic catalytic performance. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of three single-phase nickel boride compounds (Ni2B, Ni4B3, and NiB) via a high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) method. The configurations of B in their respective structures are distinct. Their electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance was systematically evaluated. The results demonstrate that NiB exhibits the lowest overpotentials of 182 mV (in acidic electrolyte) and 234 mV (in alkaline electrolyte) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, accompanied by the smallest Tafel slope, the lowest electron transfer resistance (Rct), and the largest double-layer capacitance (Cdl). This superior HER activity is primarily attributed to the presence of strong B-B covalent bonds in NiB, which weaken the Ni-B interaction and reduce the orbital hybridization between Ni 3d and B 2p orbitals. Consequently, the hydrogen adsorption intermediate (H*) achieves the optimal adsorption strength on the NiB surface. This work provides a novel insight for the design of high-performance transition metal boride electrocatalysts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 15th Anniversary of Catalysts: Feature Papers in Electrocatalysis)
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