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Development and Design of Novel Electrode Materials

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Electrochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 456

Special Issue Editor

School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
Interests: renewable energy conversion; electrocatalysis; photocatalysis and photo(electro)catalysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrode materials are a crucial technology that significantly advances the development of supercapacitors, batteries, electrocatalysis, energy conversion, environmental protection, photovoltaic applications, and other fields. In recent years, some novel electrode materials have appeared that have the potential to be applied in the next generation of device innovations. The fundamental understanding of the relationship between the structure and performances of electrode materials can help us to design more efficient devices.

This Special Issue aims to gather emerging electrode materials and help our community gain a better understanding of these materials from a materials chemistry point of view. Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to, research on the mechanisms of electrode materials in various fields, research on the structure–performance relationships of novel electrode materials, and research on new electrode materials such as organic frameworks including MOFs and COFs, Mxenes, metal nitrides, black phosphorus, etc.

Dr. Lei Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • electrode materials
  • supercapacitors
  • batteries
  • electrocatalysis
  • photovoltaic materials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 6721 KiB  
Article
Systematic Investigation of the Role of Molybdenum and Boron in NiCo-Based Alloys for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction
by Parastoo Mouchani, Donald W. Kirk and Steven J. Thorpe
Molecules 2025, 30(9), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30091971 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
Quaternary NiCoMoB electrocatalysts exhibited significantly enhanced OER performance compared to their ternary NiCoMo and NiCoB counterparts. An optimal Mo/B ratio of 1 (NiCoMoyBy) demonstrated a superior OER activity, attributed to a balance between the electronic and structural contributions from [...] Read more.
Quaternary NiCoMoB electrocatalysts exhibited significantly enhanced OER performance compared to their ternary NiCoMo and NiCoB counterparts. An optimal Mo/B ratio of 1 (NiCoMoyBy) demonstrated a superior OER activity, attributed to a balance between the electronic and structural contributions from Mo and B, maximizing the electrocatalytic site density and activity. NiCoMoyBy-SA, a nanoparticle version synthesized via a surfactant-assisted method, showed further improved performance. The OER activity was evaluated by comparing overpotentials at 10 mA/cm2, with NiCoMoxB1−x, NiCoMoyBy, and NiCoMoyBy-SA exhibiting 293, 284, and 270 mV, respectively. NiCoMoyBy-SA also demonstrated the lowest onset potential (1.45 V), reflecting a superior efficiency. Chronoamperometry in 1 M pre-electrolyzed KOH at 30 °C highlighted NiCoMoyBy-SA’s stability, activating within hours at 10 mA/cm2 and stabilizing over 7 days. At 50 mA/cm2, the overpotential increased minimally (0.02 mV/h over 2 days), and even at 100 mA/cm2 for 10 days, the activity declined only slightly, affirming a high stability. These findings demonstrate NiCoMoB electrocatalysts as cost-effective, efficient OER electrocatalysts, advancing sustainable energy technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Design of Novel Electrode Materials)
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19 pages, 12247 KiB  
Article
Nanoscale Fe3O4 Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
by Junjie Zhang, Jilong Wang, Yaoming Fu, Xing Peng, Maosong Xia, Weidong Peng, Yaowei Liang and Wuguo Wei
Molecules 2025, 30(8), 1753; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30081753 - 14 Apr 2025
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Abstract
This study presents a straightforward hydrothermal synthesis approach to fabricate uniform and highly dispersed nanoscale Fe3O4 electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). FeSO4·7H2O is used as the precursor, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is incorporated [...] Read more.
This study presents a straightforward hydrothermal synthesis approach to fabricate uniform and highly dispersed nanoscale Fe3O4 electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). FeSO4·7H2O is used as the precursor, and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is incorporated as a dispersing agent to optimize particle size and dispersion. The SDS concentration plays a crucial role in controlling the particle size and distribution, with higher SDS concentrations resulting in smaller, well-dispersed particles (30–40 nm), compared to the agglomerated particles formed without SDS. The Fe3O4 catalyst demonstrates significant enhancement in ORR performance, with a half-wave potential of 0.091 V vs. Hg/HgO and a limiting diffusion current density of −5.50 mA cm2, surpassing the performance of agglomerated Fe3O4 and approaching that of state-of-the-art 20% Pt/C catalysts. Additionally, the Fe3O4 catalyst exhibits superior stability and resistance to methanol and CO poisoning, presenting a promising alternative to platinum-based catalysts for ORR applications. This work introduces an efficient approach for the synthesis of high-performance and evenly distributed Fe3O4 electrocatalysts, offering a new pathway for the development of metal oxide-based ORR catalysts with enhanced activity and durability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Design of Novel Electrode Materials)
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