Rare Earth-Modified Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting: Material Design, Synthetic Strategies and Mechanistic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Electrochemistry
• Renewable Energy Technologies

Background:

• Increasing global energy demand and fossil fuel impacts necessitate carbon-neutral energy solutions.
• Hydrogen (H2) is a key clean energy carrier, with electrocatalytic water splitting being an efficient production method.
• Rare-earth (RE) elements offer unique electronic properties for tuning electrocatalyst performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review recent advancements in rare-earth (RE) doped electrocatalysts for water splitting.
• To elaborate on core design principles and structure-activity relationships for RE-doped catalysts.
• To analyze electronic regulation mechanisms and doping strategies for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER).

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of RE-doped electrocatalysts for HER and OER.
• Analysis of structure-activity relationships, including 4f-d electronic synergies and defect engineering.
• Examination of doping strategies across various catalyst platforms (metal oxides, LDHs, MOFs, phosphides, sulfides, heterostructures).

Main Results:

• RE doping effectively modulates electronic structures, active sites, and reaction pathways of electrocatalysts.
• 4f-d electronic synergies optimize charge distribution and intermediate adsorption.
• RE-induced defect engineering and lattice modulation enhance active-site density and structural stability.

Conclusions:

• RE-doped electrocatalysts show significant promise for efficient and durable water splitting.
• Understanding electronic regulation mechanisms and optimizing doping strategies are crucial for catalyst design.
• Future research should focus on high-efficiency, durable, and scalable RE-doped catalysts for practical applications.