Research and Development of Novel Electroactive Materials for Reduction/Oxidation Processes
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 224
Special Issue Editor
Interests: electrochemistry; electroplating; electrocatalysis; noble-metals alloys; semiconductors synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In recent years, there has been a substantial surge in researchers’ interest of the electrolytic splitting of water. Numerous studies have focused on synthesizing various materials characterized by their remarkable activity in hydrogen production, both under acidic and alkaline environments.
The electrochemical stability window of water limits the process of water decomposition, and thermodynamically, it requires the application of a voltage exceeding 1.23V. Many studies have commenced to redirect the anodic reaction towards the electro-oxidation of organic compounds characterized by lower oxidation potentials to diminish the total reaction overpotential. One such compound that has been extensively researched and has a strong application potential is urea, which requires an oxidation potential of 0.37V.
Substituting the oxygen evolution reaction with the oxidation of urea enables a significant reduction in applied voltages, leading to an average electricity consumption decrease of approximately 30%. The existing literature has suggested that the reactivity of electrodes in the electro-oxidation processes of alcohols and urea is associated with three key parameters. The first parameter involves the ability to generate metal oxides and hydroxides on the electrode’s surface, which has been observed in nickel, iron, and cobalt. The presence of these compounds is crucial for facilitating the oxidation reaction. The second one is associated with the arrangement of atoms within the crystalline lattice. It has been observed that materials with nanocrystalline and amorphous structures exhibit significantly higher reactivity levels compared to materials with a high crystallinity level. Moreover, in terms of crystalline matter, the orientation of the crystals has a crucial role in electrochemical activity, which was confirmed for Pt, Au, and Pd layers with different crystallographic planes. The third factor is related to the surface morphology. The catalytic activity of an electrodeposited alloy is often closely tied to its surface area and morphology. A higher surface area provides more active sites for catalysis, allowing for increased interaction with reactants. Hence, it is justifiable to investigate the possibility of designing alloys based on nickel, incorporating cobalt and iron, with an optimized chemical composition and morphology.
The idea for this particular Special Issue is open for all scientific work related to the manipulation of these three factors in terms of the electrochemical activity of metals and alloys under different electrochemical reactions, including the following:
- Urea electro-oxidation;
- Hydrogen evolution reaction;
- Oxygen evolution reaction;
- Alcohols electro-oxidation;
- Electrochemical reduction/oxidation of different organic compounds.
Therefore, it is our pleasure to inform you that this Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, “Research and Development of Novel Electroactive Materials for Reduction/Oxidation Processes” is open for submissions. We welcome you to publish original research articles and reviews on the application of electrochemical techniques to study metal materials.
Dr. Dawid Kutyła
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- electrochemistry
- electrocatalysis
- synthesis of metallic electrode materials
- fabrication of alloys
- crystalline structure modification
- tailoring of the electrode morphology
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