Even as the world is moving toward a more hydrogen-oriented economy, there yet remain ample challenges to be overcome prior to the full utilization and commercialization of the technology. In fuel cells and water electrolyzers, the use of expensive and rare earth elements is hindering commercialization, as well as presenting a challenge in terms of durability. The main aspect of the cost relies on the electrocatalyst materials used in the fabrication of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), which form the heart of the system.

Fuel cell-based electric vehicles (FCEVs) are the major focus of many automotive companies. One of the key issues to resolve in the development and commercialization of FCEVs is fuel starvation. There is therefore an urgent need in the energy sector for research on tailoring and engineering various novel non-noble electrocatalyst materials, which can be termed as futuristic materials for transformation. Metal-air batteries (MABs), which form a family of electrochemical cells, are powered by metal oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions. These batteries, which breathe oxygen from the atmosphere and do not store reactants in the positive electrodes, have between 3 and 30 times higher theoretical energy density with respect to commercially available Li-ion batteries. These also have the advantages of long-lasting electrochemical stability, low internal resistance, low operating conditions, and abundant resources.

The Special Issue will be highly focused on futuristic materials for electrochemical systems for energy generation, storage, and conversion. This Issue will include papers related to fuel cells, water electrolyzers, supercapacitors, and batteries, in particular research into metal-air batteries, such as zinc-air batteries, aluminum-air batteries, and magnesium-air batteries. Supercapacitors or ultracapacitors are considered potential candidates in the domain of energy storage devices for forthcoming generations and a competitor for batteries, as compared to batteries the energy density of supercapacitors is significantly less. We welcome both original research and review articles.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Emerging catalysts for hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions
• New futuristic materials for energy storage
• New futuristic materials for fuel cell applications
• Hybrid systems
• Lithium-ion battery chemistry and technology
• Green chemistry
• Supercapacitors
• Techno-economic analysis for renewable electrolysis systems