Engineered Carbon Catalysts: Unlocking the Future of Green-Hydrogen Production

Hydrogen is considered as a promising source of renewable energy owing to its high energy content and minimal greenhouse gas emissions. The production of green-hydrogen from renewable sources such as water and biomass is increasingly gaining attention. This chapter provokes the urge to produce green-hydrogen (as the demand reaches 660 million metric tons annually by 2050) using carbon materials as an essential ingredient through various processes such as steam-reforming, water splitting, and photocatalysis. The main focus is to elaborate the recent development on carbon-based catalysts for these reactions, which are cost-effective, eco-friendly, easy to make and efficient. These materials are constituted with enormous features including high surface area, tuneable pore size, and unique electronic and chemical properties, which make them suitable for hydrogen production. This chapter also discusses the role of different types of carbon materials such as activated carbon (AC), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), 0D carbon quantum dots (CQDs), 2D/3D graphene, and carbide-derived carbon that can be used for green-hydrogen production. Additionally, the chapter highlights the factors that influence the performance of carbon-based catalysts, including morphology, structure, and surface chemistry. Overall, this special issue will contribute an outlook on the future of carbon-based materials towards the overall hydrogen economy and potential for industrial applications.