Time：Jun 10th，2019
Source：College of Chemistry and Materials Science，JNU

Prof. Gao Qingsheng of JNU's College of Chemistry and Materials Science teamed up with Prof. Tang Wei of Fudan University's Department of Chemistry to publish Structural Design and Electronic Modulation of Transition-Metal-Carbide Electrocatalysts Toward Efficient Hydrogen Evolution in Advanced Materials, a top international journal. The review article [IF: 21.95 (2017)] provides a comprehensive summary of important advances in transition metal carbide hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts.

(The main design strategy for transition metal carbide electrocatalysts)

Abstract：
As the key of hydrogen economy, electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) depend on the availability of cost‐efficient electrocatalysts. Over the past years, there is a rapid rise in noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts. Among them, transition metal carbides (TMCs) are highlighted due to their structural and electronic merits, e.g., high conductivity, metallic band states, tunable surface/bulk architectures, etc. Herein, representative efforts and progress made on TMCs are comprehensively reviewed, focusing on the noble‐metal‐like electronic configuration and the relevant structural/electronic modulation. Briefly, specific nanostructures and carbon‐based hybrids are introduced to increase active‐site abundance and to promote mass transportation, and heteroatom doping and heterointerface engineering are encouraged to optimize the chemical configurations of active sites toward intrinsically boosted HER kinetics. Finally, a perspective on the future development of TMC electrocatalysts is offered. The overall aim is to shed some light on the exploration of emerging materials in energy chemistry.

Gao has carried out a series of research projects on non-precious metal catalysts (Energy Environ. Sci.2017, 10, 1261; Chem. Sci.2016, 7, 3399; Adv. Funct. Mater.2016, 25, 5580; ACS Catal.2017, 7, 2357; Appl. Catal. B – Environ. 2019, 242, 132; Appl. Catal. B – Environ. 2019, 244, 620).

Related papers have been published on Advanced Materials (2019, 31, 1802280) and incorporated into the current Inside Cover.