The rise of borophenes and their composites for optimized hydrogen production: A holistic review of material designs, properties, coordination chemistry, and catalytic performances

초록

The global push toward low-carbon energy systems has intensified the search for clean and efficient hydrogen (H<inf>2</inf>) production technologies. Wherein, electrocatalytic and photocatalytic water splitting offer sustainable alternatives to fossil-fuel-based H<inf>2</inf> generation, yet their commercial application remains limited by the scarcity of cost-effective, stable, and high-performance catalysts. Recently, borophene, an emerging two-dimensional boron-based material, has attracted significant attention due to its unique physicochemical properties, including high electronic conductivity, mechanical strength, structural anisotropy, and tunable phases. These characteristics make borophene and its composites highly suitable for energy-related applications, particularly H<inf>2</inf> production. Building upon this interest, in this review, we provide a systematic overview of borophene's preparation strategies, both bottom-up and top-down approaches, followed by a detailed discussion of its key physicochemical properties, such as electronic, optical, adsorption, superconducting, magnetic, thermal, and mechanical behaviors. Special emphasis is given to the H<inf>2</inf> evolution reaction (HER), where borophene's surface reactivity, high charge carrier mobility, and tunable adsorption energies play a pivotal role in enhancing catalytic efficiency. This review further examines the HER potential of borophene-based systems, including pure borophene sheets, phase-engineered borophene composites, and hybrid materials such as borophene/MXene, borophene/graphene, and borophene combined with metal oxides, sulfides, selenides, and nanoparticles. By consolidating theoretical insights and experimental findings, we identify key design principles and future directions for optimizing borophene-based materials for scalable H<inf>2</inf> production. This work aims to bridge the knowledge gap between borophene's fundamental material properties and its practical application in clean energy technologies. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

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