Catalytic efficiency of LDH@carbonaceous hybrid nanocomposites towards water splitting mechanism: Impact of plasma and its significance on HER and OER activity

Developing extremely efficient, effective and economical electrocatalyst for green hydrogen energy generation with the help of non-precious transition metals (TM) based layered double hydroxides (LDH) and carbon-based nanocomposites are crucial for building superior electrodes towards bifunctional electrocatalysts. Recent studies have shown that LDH fabricated with TMs has emerged as a potential candidate to carry out electrochemical reactions (hydrogen evolution (HER) & oxygen evolution (OER)) efficiently and effectively. These compounds have distinct 2-D layer structures with outstanding physiochemical properties, making them appropriate for designing hybrid materials and with partial doping of cations/anions and void formations, they can largely enhance the electrochemical performance. Although, the hybrid materials may exhibit different properties depending on their fabrication methods and structural morphology. This could hinder the catalytic performance of the catalyst, but several methods have been developed to address these issues. Amongst all the other techniques studied till now, plasma-assisted technology has gained lots of interest due to its ease of use, pronounced effectiveness in surface modification and negligible harmful by-products under mild conditions. This review attempts to further the uses of plasma techniques in the field of water-splitting technology. Hence, it clarifies how it can be used to create or alter the hybrid composite materials, such as carbon@LDH-based composites, phosphides, nitrides, metal-oxides & chalcogenides for fabricating efficient catalysts towards the overall water-splitting mechanism. As a result, surface activation of hybrid LDH by decorating active species with plasma treatment involves a viable method to modulate the performance of earth-abundant electrocatalysts for commercial uses. In addition, to serve as a reference for future hydrogen technology development, this research gives insights into the development and surface functional group’s activation of electrocatalysts using the advanced plasma technique.