Design of Nanocatalysts and Electrodes: Application to Fuel Cell and Water Electrolysis (Second Edition)

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (22 August 2025) | Viewed by 1337

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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Energy Science and Technology (GEST), Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea
Interests: electrocatalysts; hybrid nanomaterials; electrode design; electrochemical analysis; fuel cells; water electrolysis; hydrogen production
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of the previous successful Special Issue, titled “Design of Nanocatalysts and Electrodes: Application to Fuel Cell and Water Electrolysis” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nanomaterials/special_issues/nanocatalys_electro_fuel_electro).

As global warming becomes increasingly serious due to rises in CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, the demand for alternative energy resources is continuously growing. Fuel cells such as proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) using H2 as a fuel are examples of promising eco-friendly energy conversion devices, as they produce electricity without pollution. Furthermore, strategies for the production and storage of H2 fuel have been extensively studied to accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell systems. In fuel cell applications, to decrease the use of expensive Pt or to replace Pt-based catalysts with non-Pt- or carbon-based catalysts, scientists have proposed new ideas centered on the modification of catalyst structures. In the field of water electrolysis research, interesting approaches for the design of novel electrode and catalyst structures have been developed.

In this Special Issue, recent advances and novel ideas regarding the design of nanomaterials and electrode structures for fuel cell and water electrolysis systems are presented. This collection also covers the electrochemical analysis of nanomaterials for H2 oxidation/evolution, O2 reduction/evolution, and methanol oxidation reactions in electrochemical energy conversion systems.

This Special Issue is open to original research articles, as well as review papers, that help researchers worldwide understand the latest trends and progress in fuel cell and water electrolysis research.

Prof. Dr. Namgee Jung
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • fabrication of electrocatalysts
  • new design of electrodes and nanomaterials
  • oxygen reduction reaction
  • hydrogen oxidation reaction
  • methanol oxidation reaction
  • oxygen evolution reaction
  • hydrogen evolution reaction
  • fuel cell
  • water electrolysis
  • hydrogen production and storage

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 2468 KB  
Article
Tailoring Co Distribution in PtCo Alloys for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity and Durability in Fuel Cells
by Jinhee Lee, Miso Kim, Bongho Lee, Jeonghee Jang, Suhwan Lee, Dae Jong You, Juseok Song and Namgee Jung
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(9), 657; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15090657 - 26 Apr 2025
Viewed by 972
Abstract
In polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), substantial efforts have been made to focus on Pt and Pt alloy catalysts to enhance their catalytic performance. However, these catalysts still fail to meet practical requirements and existing PtCo catalysts face durability issues due to [...] Read more.
In polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), substantial efforts have been made to focus on Pt and Pt alloy catalysts to enhance their catalytic performance. However, these catalysts still fail to meet practical requirements and existing PtCo catalysts face durability issues due to structural limitations. In this study, carbon-supported hybrid PtCo alloy catalysts (H-PtCo) with improved activity and durability are synthesized by reducing Co precursors onto pre-formed colloidal Pt nanoparticles. Elemental mapping via transmission electron microscopy reveals that the H-PtCo catalysts exhibit a high concentration of Co atoms near the sub-surface. This Co enrichment results from the conformal deposition of Co atoms onto Pt nanoparticles, followed by high-temperature treatment. Electrochemical characterizations, including linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and accelerated durability test (ADT), demonstrate that the H-PtCo catalysts outperform conventional PtCo alloys (C-PtCo), synthesized via the co-reduction method of Pt and Co, in terms of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and stability. Furthermore, single-cell tests reveal that the H-PtCo catalysts significantly enhance both performance and durability compared to C-PtCo and Pt catalysts. These findings emphasize the critical role of Co atom distribution within PtCo nanoparticles in improving catalytic efficiency and long-term stability. Full article
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Review

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43 pages, 2854 KB  
Review
Strategies for Enhancing BiVO4 Photoanodes for PEC Water Splitting: A State-of-the-Art Review
by Binh Duc Nguyen, In-Hee Choi and Jae-Yup Kim
Nanomaterials 2025, 15(19), 1494; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15191494 - 30 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has attracted significant attention as a photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to its suitable bandgap (~2.4 eV), strong visible light absorption, chemical stability, and cost-effectiveness. Despite these advantages, its practical application remains constrained by intrinsic [...] Read more.
Bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) has attracted significant attention as a photoanode material for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to its suitable bandgap (~2.4 eV), strong visible light absorption, chemical stability, and cost-effectiveness. Despite these advantages, its practical application remains constrained by intrinsic limitations, including poor charge carrier mobility, short diffusion length, and sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics. This review critically summarizes recent advancements aimed at enhancing BiVO4 PEC performance, encompassing synthesis strategies, defect engineering, heterojunction formation, cocatalyst integration, light-harvesting optimization, and stability improvements. Key fabrication methods—such as solution-based, vapor-phase, and electrochemical approaches—along with targeted modifications, including metal/nonmetal doping, surface passivation, and incorporation of electron transport layers, are discussed. Emphasis is placed on strategies to improve light absorption, charge separation efficiency (ηsep), and charge transfer efficiency (ηtrans) through bandgap engineering, optical structure design, and catalytic interface optimization. Approaches to enhance stability via protective overlayers and electrolyte tuning are also reviewed, alongside emerging applications of BiVO4 in tandem PEC systems and selective solar-driven production of value-added chemicals, such as H2O2. Finally, critical challenges, including the scale-up of electrode fabrication and the elucidation of fundamental reaction mechanisms, are highlighted, providing perspectives for bridging the gap between laboratory performance and practical implementation. Full article
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