Rational Design and Engineering of Nanomaterials Derived from Prussian Blue and Its Analogs for Electrochemical Water Splitting

Abstract

Electrochemical water splitting (EWS) is a sustainable and promising technology for producing hydrogen as an ideal energy carrier to address environmental and energy issues. Developing highly-efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER) is critical for increasing the efficiency of water electrolysis. Recently, nanomaterials derived from Prussian blue (PB) and its analogs (PBA) have received increasing attention in EWS applications owing to their unique composition and structure properties. In this Minireview, the latest progress of PB/PBA-derived materials for EWS is presented. Firstly, the catalyst design principles and the advantages of preparing electrocatalysts with PB/PBA as precursors are briefly introduced. Then, strategies for enhancing the electrocatalytic performance (HER, OER or overall water splitting) were discussed in detail, and the recent development and applications of PB/PBA-derived catalysts for EWS were summarized. Finally, major challenges and possible future trends related to PB/PBA-derived functional materials are proposed.

Keywords: Prussian blue and its analogs; electrochemical water splitting; hydrogen evolution reaction; material engineering strategies; oxygen evolution reaction.