journal article·2026-04-21Open access

Development of Amorphous Metallic Surfaces for Energy Storage Applications

Oscar Sotelo-Mazón, John Henao, Victor Zezatti, Hugo Rojas, Diego Espinosa-Arbeláez, Guillermo C. Mondragón-Rodríguez, Carlos A. Poblano-Salas

Applied Sciences· Volume 16· Issue 8

Abstract

Amorphous metallic materials have emerged as a promising class of functional materials for energy storage and conversion owing to their disordered atomic structure and unique interfacial properties. This review focuses on amorphous metals and alloys, including metallic glasses and high-entropy amorphous systems, with particular emphasis on their surface- and interface-driven behavior in electrochemical environments. This review analyzes how structural disorder influences key properties such as electronic structure, ion transport, catalytic activity, and mechanical compliance and how these factors govern performance in batteries, supercapacitors, electrolyzers, and fuel cells. Special attention is given to interfacial phenomena, including charge-transfer kinetics, corrosion and passivation processes, and structural evolution during long-term operation. In addition, recent advances in fabrication strategies such as rapid solidification, thin-film deposition, mechanical alloying, thermoplastic forming, and electrodeposition are discussed in relation to their ability to tailor amorphous structures and interfaces. This review also highlights critical failure mechanisms and discusses some strategies to mitigate these effects. Overall, this work provides a focused perspective on the role of amorphous metallic surfaces and interfaces in electrochemical systems, identifying current challenges in scalability, durability, and compositional control, and outlining future directions for their integration into next-generation energy technologies.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Nanoporous metals and alloys · Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Metallic Glasses and Amorphous Alloys

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Instituto de Ciencias Físicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca 62210, Morelos, Mexico

SECIHTI-CIATEQ A.C., Av. Manantiales 23-A, El Marqués 76246, Querétaro, Mexico

Centro de Investigaciones en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad N° 1001, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca 62210, Morelos, Mexico

CIDESI, Av. Pie de la Cuesta, El Marqués 76246, Queretaro, Mexico

SECIHTI-CIDESI, Secretaría de Ciencia, Tecnología, Humanidades e Innovación, Av. Insurgentes Sur 1582, Col. Crédito Constructor, Demarcación Territorial Benito Juárez, Ciudad de México 03940, Mexico

CIATEQ A.C., Av. Manantiales 23-A, El Marqués 76246, Querétaro, Mexico

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