Functional Applications of Metallic Glasses in Electrocatalysis

Metallic glasses (MGs), which are also known as amorphous metals, are formed by quenching the melts at a super high cooling rate (e.g. 106 K/s) to avoid crystallization. Compared with ordinary metals, there is no long-range translational order and crystalline defects in MGs. Benefitting from this unique structural characteristic, MGs show many superior mechanical, physical and chemical properties and thus have been attracting intensive attentions in applications as structural materials. The investigations on the functional properties of MGs are still at the early stage, but immense potential in electrochemically functional applications has been demonstrated in recent years. In this Minireview, we aim to present an overview of the functional properties of this class of novel metallic glassy catalysts and some achievements obtained so far. We mainly focus on the applications of MGs in various electrochemical applications, like hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction as well as fuel cells. The strategies for optimizing the performance of these amorphous catalysts are discussed as well, including high-throughput screening and nano-engineering. In the absence of crystalline ordering, the atomic-scale structural mechanism of MGs in electrocatalysis may be unique and will be explored. Finally, we also give perspectives on how to design novel and superior electrocatalysts for future electrocatalysis applications.