Catalysts generated by the addition of carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus to transition metals have interesting properties and potential applications. The addition of carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus can lead to substantial modification of the catalytic efficacy of the parent metal and some carbides and nitrides are claimed to be comparable to noble metals in their behaviour. Amorphous boron transition metal alloys are also a class of interesting catalyst, although their structures and phase composition are more difficult to define. In this critical review, the preparation of these catalysts is described and brief details of their application given. To date, attention has largely centred upon the application of these materials as alternatives for existing catalysts. However, novel approaches towards their utilisation can be envisaged. For example, the extent to which it is possible to utilise the “activated” carbon and nitrogen species within the host lattices of carbides and nitrides, respectively, as a reactant remains largely unexplored (195 references).

Alternative catalytic materials: carbides, nitrides, phosphides and amorphous boron alloys

In the near future, sustainable energy conversion and storage will largely depend on the electrochemical splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Perceiving this, countless research works focussing on the fundamentals of electrocatalysis of water splitting and on performance improvements are being reported everyday around the globe. Electrocatalysts of high activity, selectivity, and stability are anticipated as they directly determine energy- and cost efficiency of water electrolyzers. Amorphous electrocatalysts with several advantages over crystalline counterparts are found to perform better in electrocatalytic water splitting. There are plenty of studies witnessing performance enhancements in electrocatalysis of water splitting while employing amorphous materials as catalysts. The harmony between the flexibility of amorphous electrocatalysts and electrocatalysis of water splitting (both the oxygen evolution reaction [OER] and the hydrogen evolution reaction [HER]) is one of the untold and unsummarized stories in the field of electrocatalytic water splitting. This Review is devoted to comprehensively discussing the upsurge of amorphous electrocatalysts in electrochemical water splitting. In addition to that, the basics of electrocatalysis of water splitting are also elaborately introduced and the characteristics of a good electrocatalyst for OER and HER are discussed.

Amorphous Catalysts and Electrochemical Water Splitting: An Untold Story of Harmony.

The overriding obstacle to mass production of hydrogen from water as the premium fuel for powering our planet is the frustratingly slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Additionally, inadequate understanding of the key barriers of the OER is a hindrance to insightful design of advanced OER catalysts. This study presents ultrathin amorphous high-surface area nickel boride (NixB) nanosheets as a low-cost, very efficient and stable catalyst for the OER for electrochemical water splitting. The catalyst affords 10 mA cm−2 at 0.38 V overpotential during OER in 1.0 m KOH, reducing to only 0.28 V at 20 mA cm−2 when supported on nickel foam, which ranks it among the best reported nonprecious catalysts for oxygen evolution. Operando X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy measurements reveal prevalence of NiOOH, as well as Ni-B under OER conditions, owing to a Ni-B core@nickel oxyhydroxide shell (Ni-B@NiOxH) structure, and increase in disorder of the NiOxH layer, thus revealing important insight into the transient states of the catalyst during oxygen evolution.

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Ultrathin High Surface Area Nickel Boride (NixB) Nanosheets as Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution

Progress in design of new amorphous alloy catalysts

Low activity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is a barrier for commercial applications. Here the authors report a nickel boride membrane-coated Pt-Ni catalyst, achieving 27-fold enhancement in mass activity for ORR relative to commercial Pt/C.

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Amorphous nickel boride membrane on a platinum-nickel alloy surface for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction.

X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy of nickel boride catalysts: Correlation of surface states with reaction products in the hydrogenation of acrylonitrile

P. C. Maybury

Papers

X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy of nickel boride catalysts: Correlation of surface states with reaction products in the hydrogenation of acrylonitrile

Comparison of the activity and lifetime of raney nickel and nickel boride in the hydrogenation of various functional groups