Harnessing Electrical-to-Chemical Energy for Sustainable Conversion

Dear Colleagues,

The conversion of clean electrical energy into chemical energy for the ease of storage is an ideal method for the development of sustainable energy resources, as well as the green and efficient synthesis of chemicals. Advanced electrocatalytic systems are at the core of high-efficiency electrical–chemical energy conversion, covering a wide range of scientific fields with magnitudes ranging from the atomic scale to the macroscale, including catalyst structure control, mechanisms of multiphase interface charge-transfer catalytic reactions, and the engineering design of electrocatalytic devices and equipment. In recent years, this interdisciplinary research topic, focusing on the field of energy and catalysis, involves disciplines such as electrochemistry, interface science, materials science, and theoretical calculations.

According to the current state of development in the field of electrocatalysis, significant breakthroughs are expected in the next five to ten years in both basic and applied research fields. The basic research fields include, but are not limited to: (1) innovative types of electrocatalytic reactions, (2) comprehensive molecular activation–transformation pathways, (3) in-depth analysis of rate-determining steps in catalytic reactions (chemical kinetics, charge transfer, and molecular mass transfer), and (4) novel structure design of electrocatalytic materials. In applied research, as the continuously increasing technology readiness level of electrocatalytic systems, a series of electrocatalytic reactions represented by water splitting are expected to be gradually scaled up and used in industrial applications. More studies will focus on ultrahigh stability operations at large current densities, the enhancement of product-added value, improvement of ion exchange membranes and diffusion layer engineering, and innovations in electrolytes.

In this Special Issue, we invite researchers from all over the world to publish their latest research findings in the field of electrocatalysis. These catalytic reactions include, but are not limited to, electrocatalytic water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction, and nitrogen reduction reactions. These research findings will undoubtedly promote the further development of the field of electrocatalysis and provide theoretical and technical guidance for the structural design of electrocatalytic materials, the understanding of reaction mechanisms, and the development of solutions to current engineering problems arising in catalytic systems. We sincerely welcome contributions from researchers who work in all electrocatalysis-related fields.

Dr. Zhen Fang
Dr. Junying Liu
Guest Editors

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• electrical–chemical
• carbon dioxide reduction
• nitrogen reduction
• microbial electrosynthesis