Engineering electrocatalytic fiber architectures

Recently, the demand for high-efficiency electrocatalysts for advanced energy conversion systems has increased dramatically. One-dimensional fiber materials are promising advanced electrode materials due to their excellent mechanical strength, large surface area, high electrical conductivity, compositional/morphological tunability, and structural stability. Recently, tremendous research interest has focused on the construction of fiber electrocatalysts with abundant accessible active sites and efficient mass diffusion capability for efficient electrocatalysis. Herein, the design and synthesis of fiber-based electrocatalysts, including supportive fibers for catalyst loading and electrocatalytic fibers containing intrinsic active sites, are described in detail. The precise control of these architectures to meet the requirements of specific electrocatalytic reactions, including hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, and CO2 reduction reaction is critically discussed. The structural properties and design principles of fiber-based electrocatalysts for bi-/multifunctional electrocatalytic reactions are also highlighted. Finally, the future challenges and research directions of fiber materials for real-world energy conversion applications are proposed.