Emerging Bismuth-Based Materials: From Fundamentals to Energy Applications

Abstract

In practical applications, supercapacitors, renewable and efficient techniques of energy storage and conversion, are commonly assembled into supercapacitor, which has been attracting growing interest in energy applications for the past decade. To achieve this decisive task, it is essential that electrode materials with high energy density and electrochemical stability are explored for environment-friendly and economical utilization. Numerous studies have been conducted on metal-based compounds and their relative materials; including bismuth-based materials and their composites are promising because of their redox behavior, charge storage capacity, environmental friendliness, and increasing research toward their application in energy for solar water splitting and supercapacitor. Herein, we outline bismuth materials and their composites, as investigated by our research, highlight their applications in energy, and, more importantly, focus on the study of their performance in photoelectrochemical hydrogen production and supercapacitive electrochemical techniques. We also present a summary of energy storage devices and their mechanisms, as well as other types of non-bismuth-based electrode materials available in the market. In addition, the major challenges and future perspectives of bismuth-based composites for energy purposes are addressed.