Recent Development and Future Perspectives of Amorphous Transition Metal-Based Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER), as a relevant half reaction for water splitting to address the energy crisis, has captured a great deal of attention. However, this technology has always been impeded by the lack of a highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst. Amorphous materials, which possess long-range disorder and only short-range order over a few atoms, are often superior to their crystalline counterparts in electrocatalysis owing to their more active sites, broader chemical composition range, and more structural flexibility. This review first introduces some assessment criteria for the OER and then presents theoretical modeling of the OER mechanisms and the state-of-the-art amorphous transition metal-based OER electrocatalysts, involving oxides, hydroxides, sulfides, phosphides, borides, and their composites, as well as their practical applications in the OER. Finally, recent development, existing challenges, and future perspectives for amorphous transition metal-based OER electrocatalysts are discussed. This paper offers valuable guidance in designing highly efficient and stable amorphous OER electrocatalysts for future energy applications.