Plasma modified and tailored defective electrocatalysts for water electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cells

Carbon dioxide generated by the combustion of fossil fuels exacerbates global environmental problems and hydrogen produced by renewable energy is a viable alternative in the continuous transition to sustainable and eco-conscience development. Electrocatalysts are vital to electrocatalytic reactions and plasma surface modification is one of the promising techniques to modify nanoscale electrocatalysts for water splitting. Up to now, a comprehensive review on the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities of plasma-tailored defective electrocatalysts for water electrolysis and hydrogen fuel cells is lacking. This paper systematically summarizes the current status of hydrogen production and fuel cell technologies, plasma principles and advantages, plasma-tailored defective electrocatalysts from the perspective of water splitting and fuel cell applications, advanced characterization of defects, relationship between materials structure and catalytic activity of electro-catalysts, and finally challenges, opportunities, and future roadmap of plasma technologies. This review serves as a reference for future development of hydrogen technologies and offers insights into the structural tailoring of catalytic materials.