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Advancing Electrocatalysis: Insights and Innovations in HER, OER, and ORR...
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Advancing Electrocatalysis: Insights and Innovations in HER, OER, and ORR for a Sustainable Energy Future

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalysis for Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 1208

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tsz Lok Wan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1H9, Canada
Interests: computational physics/chemistry; catalysis; corrosion
Dr. Juan Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry & Physics, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4000, Austrilia
Interests: design and synthesis of functional nanostructured materials and their applications in electrochemistry and energy conversion device
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xiaoyun Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: photo/electrocatalytic; N2 fixation; H2 production; reduction of CO2
Dr. Jinguo Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: biomass environmental materials; improvement and utilization of wood and bamboo properties and their functionality
Dr. Minghao Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Centre for Biomedical Technologies, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4000, Australia
Interests: computational physics/chemistry; catalysis; drug delivery; machine learning

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to sustainable energy systems relies heavily on advancements in electrocatalysis, particularly for key reactions such as the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER), and Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR). These reactions play a pivotal role in enabling efficient water splitting, fuel cell technologies, and metal-air batteries, which are critical for renewable energy storage and utilization.

This Special Issue, “Advancing Electrocatalysis: Insights and Innovations in HER, OER, and ORR for a Sustainable Energy Future”, aims to bring together cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges and opportunities in these fields. We welcome contributions focusing on novel catalyst design, mechanistic studies, in-situ/operando characterization, and computational modeling. Submissions exploring sustainable materials, integration with renewable energy systems, and scalable solutions for industrial applications are highly encouraged.

By showcasing innovative approaches and multidisciplinary collaborations, this special issue seeks to advance the fundamental understanding and practical implementation of HER, OER, and ORR, paving the way toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy landscape.

Dr. Tsz Lok Wan
Dr. Juan Bai
Dr. Xiaoyun Chen
Dr. Jinguo Lin
Guest Editors

Dr. Minghao Liu
Guest Editor Assistant

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 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

  • hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)
  • oxygen evolution reaction (OER)
  • oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)
  • electrocatalysis
  • renewable energy
  • fuel cells
  • water splitting
  • metal-air batteries
  • catalyst design
  • sustainable energy

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2224 KB  
Article
Tannic Acid-Induced Morphological and Electronic Tuning of Metal–Organic Frameworks Toward Efficient Oxygen Evolution
by Sivalingam Gopi, Mani Durai and Kyusik Yun
Catalysts 2025, 15(10), 991; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15100991 - 16 Oct 2025
Viewed by 324
Abstract
This study presents a novel dual-temperature synthesis strategy for cobalt, zinc, and iron-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) integrated with tannic acid (TA) surface modification to enhance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. MOFs were synthesized at room temperature and 80 °C, enabling controlled crystal growth [...] Read more.
This study presents a novel dual-temperature synthesis strategy for cobalt, zinc, and iron-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) integrated with tannic acid (TA) surface modification to enhance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. MOFs were synthesized at room temperature and 80 °C, enabling controlled crystal growth and distinct morphologies. Subsequent TA treatment effectively tuned surface chemistry without altering core crystallinity, as confirmed by PXRD, FT-IR, and XPS analyses. Surface modification introduced oxygen-containing functional groups, improved charge transfer, and increased active-site accessibility. Among the catalysts, the tannic acid-modified Fe-based MOF synthesized at 80 °C (TAFeM-2) exhibited outstanding OER activity, achieving an overpotential of only 254 mV at 10 mA cm−2, outperforming benchmark RuO2 (276 mV) and unmodified counterparts. Tafel slope analysis revealed faster reaction kinetics for surface-tuned MOFs, while electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated reduced charge-transfer resistance (12 Ω for TAFeM-2). Chronoamperometry demonstrated exceptional long-term stability, maintaining constant current density over 20 h with minimal performance loss. Post-OER characterization suggested surface oxidation to iron oxyhydroxides without significant structural degradation. This work demonstrates that combining dual-temperature synthesis with TA surface engineering yields MOF-based catalysts with superior activity, conductivity, and durability, offering a promising pathway for developing high-performance electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Electrocatalysis: Insights and Innovations in HER, OER, and ORR for a Sustainable Energy Future)
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14 pages, 3346 KB  
Article
DES-Mediated Mild Synthesis of Synergistically Engineered 3D FeOOH-Co2(OH)3Cl/NF for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction
by Bingxian Zhu, Yachao Liu, Yue Yan, Hui Wang, Yu Zhang, Ying Xin, Weijuan Xu and Qingshan Zhao
Catalysts 2025, 15(8), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15080725 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 538
Abstract
Hydrogen energy is a pivotal carrier for achieving carbon neutrality, requiring green and efficient production via water electrolysis. However, the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involves a sluggish four-electron transfer process, resulting in high overpotentials, while the prohibitive cost and complex preparation of [...] Read more.
Hydrogen energy is a pivotal carrier for achieving carbon neutrality, requiring green and efficient production via water electrolysis. However, the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) involves a sluggish four-electron transfer process, resulting in high overpotentials, while the prohibitive cost and complex preparation of precious metal catalysts impede large-scale commercialization. In this study, we develop a FeCo-based bimetallic deep eutectic solvent (FeCo-DES) as a multifunctional reaction medium for engineering a three-dimensional (3D) coral-like FeOOH-Co2(OH)3Cl/NF composite via a mild one-step impregnation approach (70 °C, ambient pressure). The FeCo-DES simultaneously serves as the solvent, metal source, and redox agent, driving the controlled in situ assembly of FeOOH-Co2(OH)3Cl hybrids on Ni(OH)2/NiOOH-coated nickel foam (NF). This hierarchical architecture induces synergistic enhancement through geometric structural effects combined with multi-component electronic interactions. Consequently, the FeOOH-Co2(OH)3Cl/NF catalyst achieves a remarkably low overpotential of 197 mV at 100 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 65.9 mV dec−1, along with 98% current retention over 24 h chronopotentiometry. This study pioneers a DES-mediated strategy for designing robust composite catalysts, establishing a scalable blueprint for high-performance and low-cost OER systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Electrocatalysis: Insights and Innovations in HER, OER, and ORR for a Sustainable Energy Future)
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