Catalytic Materials in Electrochemical and Fuel Cells

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 905

Special Issue Editors

Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, China
Interests: oxygen evolution reaction; oxygen reduction reaction; electrocatalysts; meal-air batteries; water splitting; carbon materials; fuel cells
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Guest Editor
Institute for Energy Research, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: oxygen evolution reaction; electrocatalysts; nanostructured catalyst layer; membrane electrode assembly; proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Electrochemical systems, encompassing technologies such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries, represent a cornerstone of the global transition towards sustainable energy. At the core of these devices, catalytic materials enable efficient and practical electrochemical energy technologies, whose performance, efficiency, cost, and durability are intrinsically tied to the properties of these materials. While platinum-based catalysts remain dominant in acidic systems, cost and sustainability are fueling significant progress in non-platinum-group metals (non-PGMs) and single-atom catalysts (SACs), particularly for alkaline systems. The ongoing synergy between fundamental science, advanced characterization, computational modeling, and innovative engineering is essential to develop the next generation of catalytic materials that will underpin a clean energy future. We invite innovative research on the design and synthesis of non-PGM electrocatalysts, carbon-based materials, alloy electrocatalysts, and SACs for significant reactions, including the following:

  • Oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs);
  • Hydrogen oxidation reactions (HORs);
  • Oxygen evolution reactions (OERs);
  • Hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs).

Dr. Yan Xie
Dr. Huiyuan Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)
  • hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR)
  • oxygen evolution reaction (OER)
  • hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)
  • carbon-based materials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3720 KB  
Article
Improving the Reproducibility of Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity Assessment for Pt-Based Electrocatalysts on a Rotating Disk Electrode via Catalytic Layer Optimization
by Andrey A. Kokhanov, Elizaveta A. Moguchikh, Angelina S. Pavlets, Ilya V. Pankov, Danil V. Alekseenko and Anastasia A. Alekseenko
Catalysts 2025, 15(12), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15121140 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 152
Abstract
The reproducibility of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity assessment for platinum-based electrocatalysts using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) method is critically dependent on the quality of the fabricated catalytic layer. This work presents a comprehensive study on optimizing catalytic ink formulation—specifically the water-to-isopropanol [...] Read more.
The reproducibility of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity assessment for platinum-based electrocatalysts using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) method is critically dependent on the quality of the fabricated catalytic layer. This work presents a comprehensive study on optimizing catalytic ink formulation—specifically the water-to-isopropanol (H2O:IPA) solvent ratio and the ionomer-to-carbon (I/C) ratio—to achieve a homogeneous catalytic layer and ensure high data reproducibility for monometallic Pt/C and bimetallic PtCu/C catalysts. A key aspect of this research is the implementation of a simple and effective visual inspection method using a benchtop digital microscope to rapidly assess catalytic layer quality, which was shown to correlate directly with electrochemical performance. The optimal ink composition was found to be catalyst-specific. For Pt/C, the highest mass activity of 353 A/g~Pt~ was achieved with a solvent ratio of 1:3 (H2O:IPA) and an I/C ratio of 0.3. For PtCu/C, the best performance was obtained with the same solvent ratio (1:3) but a higher I/C ratio of 0.4, yielding a mass activity of 491 A/g~Pt~. It was demonstrated that ink compositions leading to layer inhomogeneities, such as aggregates and “coffee-ring” effects, significantly impair mass transport and lead to underestimated ORR activity. The study underscores the absence of a universal ink recipe and establishes that the optimization of ink parameters for each specific catalyst is essential for obtaining reliable and reproducible electrochemical data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Materials in Electrochemical and Fuel Cells)
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Review

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21 pages, 4253 KB  
Review
Recent Progress of Low Pt Content Intermetallic Electrocatalysts Toward Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
by Huiyuan Liu, Qian Song, Yan Xie, Weiqi Zhang, Qian Xu and Huaneng Su
Catalysts 2025, 15(11), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal15111070 - 11 Nov 2025
Viewed by 598
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are playing a crucial role in the widespread adoption of hydrogen energy. However, their large-scale commercialization has been hampered by the high cost and limited durability of Pt-based electrocatalysts. To overcome the issues, researchers are focusing on Pt-non-noble [...] Read more.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are playing a crucial role in the widespread adoption of hydrogen energy. However, their large-scale commercialization has been hampered by the high cost and limited durability of Pt-based electrocatalysts. To overcome the issues, researchers are focusing on Pt-non-noble metal (PtM) intermetallic electrocatalysts due to their superior activity and durability. This review highlights key advances in this field, starting with a comparison of intermetallic compounds and solid-solution alloys, and an analysis of the composition and structure of PtM intermetallics. It then proceeds to the controllable synthesis and structure characterization of the carbon-supported PtM intermetallics electrocatalysts. The review also thoroughly discusses their activity and durability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Finally, some perspectives on remaining challenges and future development of the PtM intermetallics electrocatalysts are presented to guide the exploitation of the active and durable intermetallic electrocatalysts with high metal content and small size for practical substitution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Materials in Electrochemical and Fuel Cells)
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