Recent Progress on Transition-Metal-Based Amorphous Ribbons as Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting

Recent advancements in electrocatalysis have highlighted the exceptional application value of amorphous electrocatalysts, which with unique atomic configurations, exhibited superior catalytic performance compared to those of their crystalline counterparts. Transition metal (TM) amorphous ribbon-shaped electrocatalysts have recently emerged as a new frontier in the catalysis field. Dealloying is widely considered a fascinating method for promoting the performance of electrocatalysts. In this review, we comprehensively examine the principles of water electrolysis, discuss the prevalent methods for fabricating ribbon-configured electrocatalysts, and provide an overview of amorphous alloys. Further, we discuss binary, ternary, and high-entropy amorphous TM-based electrocatalysts, which satisfy the requirements for performing water electrolysis. We also propose strategies to enhance the activity of amorphous TM-based ribbons, including morphology control, defect engineering, composition optimization, and heterostructure creation in different electrolytes. We focus on the latest developments in the design of heterogeneous micro/nanostructures, control over preparation techniques, and synthesis of different compositions. Finally, we discuss the ongoing challenges and provide a perspective on the future development of broadly applicable, self-supporting TM ribbon-shaped electrocatalysts.