catalysts Review Layered Ternary and Quaternary Transition Metal Chalcogenide Based Catalysts for Water Splitting Anand P. Tiwari 1,†, Travis G. Novak 1,†, Xiuming Bu 2, Johnny C. Ho 2,* and Seokwoo Jeon 1,* 1 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, KAIST Institute for the Nanocentury, Advanced Battery Center, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701, Korea;
[email protected] (A.P.T.);
[email protected] (T.G.N.) 2 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected] (J.C.H.);
[email protected] (S.J.); Tel.: +82-42-350-3342 (S.J.) † These authors contributed equally. Received: 30 October 2018; Accepted: 13 November 2018; Published: 16 November 2018 Abstract: Water splitting plays an important role in the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical conversion of energy devices. Electrochemical water splitting by the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a straightforward route to producing hydrogen (H2), which requires an efficient electrocatalyst to minimize energy consumption. Recent advances have created a rapid rise in new electrocatalysts, particularly those based on non-precious metals. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the recent developments of ternary and quaternary 6d-group transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) based electrocatalysts for water splitting, especially for HER. Detailed discussion is organized from binary to quaternary TMCs including, surface engineering, heterostructures, chalcogen substitutions and hierarchically structural design in TMCs. Moreover, emphasis is placed on future research scope and important challenges facing these electrocatalysts for further development in their performance towards water splitting.