Recent Progress on Metal Hydride and High Entropy Materials as Emerging Electrocatalysts for Energy Storage and Conversion

The global energy demand and energy crisis such as the use of fossil fuel for energy conversion and storage have created a need for the development of clean and sustainable renewable energy sources such as fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, solar. However, commercialization of renewable energy devices relies heavily on exploring and devising highly functional and stable materials. High entropy materials are emerging, high-performing electrocatalysts due to their intrinsic tenability; hence, these materials may result in earth-abundant catalysts for efficient electrochemical energy storage and conversion. In this chapter, advancements in the energy storage and conversion efficiencies of emerging materials, i.e. high entropy and metal hydrides, as well as their counterparts, i.e. PGMs and MOFs, respectively are discussed. Their applications in fuel cells, hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, hydrogen storage, and batteries are deliberated. Furthermore, computer modeling (density functional theory) and machine learning are factored in to supplement the catalytic processes in energy generation and storage reactions.