Abstract:Amorphous catalyst as a new type of catalytic material has the characteristics of short-range order and long-range disorder. Compared with the crystalline catalyst, the amorphous catalyst has larger specific surface area and structural defects under the same mass, which makes it more active sites for the catalytic reaction. In addition, the excellent flexibility and flexibility of the amorphous catalyst can induce the active sites to form suitable morphology for promoting the reaction rate due to its uniformity and isotropy, which can adjust their catalytic conditions and provide volume and capacity according to the surface electron transfer, promoting the electrocatalytic activities of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water splitting. Herein, the latest progress in several major types of the amorphous catalysts for electrocatalytic water splitting in recent years was reviewed, especially in the controllable synthesis of several kinds of amorphous catalysts, the control strategy on electrocatalytic performance for water decomposition, and the structure-activity relationship between surface electronic structure and catalytic activity and stability. Moreover, the prospects for the challenges and research direction of the adaptation relationship and modulation of the active site of the catalysts were proposed to shed light on further development of electrolysis water.

Key words: amorphous catalyst; surface/interface; water electrolysis; hydrogen evolution reaction; oxygen evolution reaction