Design and Characterization of Energy Catalytic Materials

Dear Colleagues,

It is well known that most energy-consuming processes are directly or indirectly related to catalytic reactions. The rapid growth of global energy demand has greatly promoted the utilization of various energy systems and the development and transformation of energy catalytic materials. Photocatalysis, electrochemical catalysis, thermal catalysis, and photo–electrochemical/thermal coupled catalysis systems offer potential routes to address the increasing environmental and energy-related issues. Semiconductor-based photocatalysis can achieve solar energy conversion to chemical energy, including photocatalytic hydrogen production, photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, photocatalytic degradation, photocatalytic nitrogen fixation, and so on. Electrochemical catalysis mainly includes fuel cells, electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into high value-added chemicals, electrosynthesis of NH₃, electrochemical water splitting, and electrochemical removal of pollutants. In recent years, photo-electrochemical/thermal catalysis has been a new technology that integrates photocatalysis and electrochemical/thermal catalysis. Take the photothermal catalysis as an example, it can not only improve the efficiency of catalytic reactions but also transform low-density solar energy into high-density chemical energy. The rational design of the catalysts with surface and interface optimization would be a promising approach to maximize the efficacy of energy conversion. On the other hand, unveiling the atomic structure of the catalysts, as well as identifying the active sites to play with the molecules is also a prerequisite with the participation of theoretical and experimental expertise. In this regard, looking for effective characterization techniques for in situ monitoring of reaction intermediates and catalytic products is another challenge that demands theoretical analysis of the combination of in situ techniques and machine learning. The Special Issue, Design and Characterization of Energy Catalytic Materials, will include a comprehensive overview and in-depth research paper addressing recent progress in energy catalysis. Studies of advanced characterization techniques and design methods in this field are highly encouraged.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Photocatalysis;
• Electrochemical catalysis;
• Photo-electrochemical/Photo-thermal catalysis;
• Carbon dioxide reduction;
• Hydrogen evolution;
• Nitrogen reduction;
• Fuel cells;
• Hydrogen peroxide production;
• Pollutants removal;  
• Biomass conversion;
• Thermodynamics;
• In situ techniques;
• Fabrication methodology.

Prof. Dr. Gang Cheng
Dr. Chao Han
Prof. Dr. Florian J. Stadler
Guest Editors

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