Boron nitride-based electrocatalysts for HER, OER, and ORR: A mini-review

Abstract

A reliable and efficient solution to the current energy crisis and its associated environmental issues is provided by fuel cells, metal–air batteries and overall water splitting. The heart reactions for these technologies are oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Different supporters such as graphene, carbon nanotube, and graphitic carbon nitride have been used to avoid agglomeration of active materials and provide maximum active surface for these reactions. Among all the supporters, boron nitride (BN) gains extensive research attention due to its analogue with graphene and excellent stability with good oxidation and chemical inertness. In this mini-review, the well-known strategies (exfoliation, annealing, and CVD) used in the synthesis of BN with different morphologies for HER, OER and ORR applications have been briefly debated and summarized. The comparative analysis determines that the performance and stability of state-of-the-art electrocatalysts can be further boosted if they are deposited on BN. It is revealed that BN-based catalysts for HER, OER and ORR are rarely studied yet especially with non-noble transition metals, and this research direction should be studied deeply in future for practical applications.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

boron nitride / electrocatalyst / hydrogen evolution reaction / oxygen evolution reaction / oxygen reduction reaction

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21676129) and the Science & Technology Foundation of Zhenjiang (GY2016021, GY2017001 and YE201709).

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2021 Higher Education Press