Economically Efficient New Energy Materials for Hydrogen Production

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogen, with its high energy density, environmental friendliness, and renewability, has long been advocated as an excellent alternative to fossil fuels. Electrocatalysis and photocatalysis to split water are both considered promising techniques to be used for hydrogen production. However, the electrocatalytic technique is limited due to high overpotential induced by the sluggish kinetics of hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OERs). Upon it, Pt-based materials and the oxides of Ru or Ir are, respectively, utilized as HER and OER electrocatalysts, but scarcity and high cost hinder their widespread deployment. As for the photocatalytic technique, it works by transforming low-density solar energy into high-density chemical energy. However, it is limited by the low solar energy conversion efficiency of semiconductor materials due to numerous kinetic and thermodynamic factors.

In this context, this Special Issue aims to compile original research and comprehensive reviews on hydrogen production, involving, but not limited to, the preparation of affordable non-noble metal electrocatalysts and highly active semiconducting photocatalysts, such as heteroatom doping, defect engineering, the fabrication of alloys/composites and heterostructure formation, and so on.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Yongfu Zhu
Guest Editor

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• new energy materials
• hydrogen production
• hydrogen/oxygen evolution reactions (HER/OERs)
• energy conversion
• electrocatalysts (electrocatalysis)
• photocatalysts (photocatalysis)
• solar energy
• semiconductor
• photoelectrochemistry