Issue 30, 2024

Functional high-entropy alloys: promising catalysts for high-performance water splitting

Abstract

Due to the urgent environmental concerns and the energy crisis, the pursuit of sustainable clean energy as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels has become a focal point for industry scholars. Electrochemical water splitting is an environment friendly and efficient method for high-purity hydrogen generation. Although platinum group metal catalysts are the most used materials for electrolytic water catalysis, their scarcity and high cost curtail their widespread application. Developing electrocatalysts with low cost and high efficiency is urgently needed, which can reduce the reaction energy barrier. High-entropy alloys (HEAs), novel materials with more than five primary elements, have unique characteristics that endow them with superior physicochemical characteristics to traditional alloys. This review presents recent developments in HEA-based electrocatalysts for water splitting. It commences with a concise elucidation of the fundamental HEA concepts, encompassing definitions, features, and fabrication methods. The discussion emphasizes theoretical guidance for selecting compositions and optimizing the properties of HEAs. Then, the analysis investigates the advantages of HEAs as water splitting electrocatalysts, elucidating their role in enhancing performance and establishing correlations between properties and activity. The article concludes with reflections and future prospects, providing insights to guide the ongoing advancement of HEA-based catalysis.

Graphical abstract: Functional high-entropy alloys: promising catalysts for high-performance water splitting

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
04 apr 2024
Accepted
17 jun 2024
First published
08 jul 2024

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024,12, 18705-18732

Functional high-entropy alloys: promising catalysts for high-performance water splitting

W. Zhang, W. Yuan, X. Zhang, Y. Ke, Y. Wu, Y. Bai, S. Jiang and Y. Tang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2024, 12, 18705 DOI: 10.1039/D4TA02271H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements