Metal-glycerolates and their derivatives as electrode materials: A review on recent developments, challenges, and future perspectives

• We review the contributions of metal glycerolate-based materials to obtain enhanced energy technologies. • We present and compare the main strategies to develop metal glycerolate-based electrode materials . • The main preparation methods in the design of metal glycerolate-based materials. • The top materials for the main target energy application (Supercapacitors, Batteries and Water-splitting). • Recent trends and perspectives on energy devices based on metal glycerolates. The need for alternative forms of energy conversion and storage requires preparation of novel nanostructured material architectures. The emerging metal-glycerolates and their derivatives are promising classes of materials that can be prepared in various morphologies including porous, hollow, or yolk-shell structures. Such materials encompass a vast compositional space spanning from metal oxides to metal hydroxides, metal sulfides, and metal phosphides. This review addresses the synthesis of micro- and nanostructures derived from metal-glycerolate, using different preparation processes, as well as the applications of these materials, especially for the preparation of supercapacitors and batteries electrodes, as well as electrocatalysts for water splitting. In fact, the utilization of metal-glycerolates and their derivatives as electrode materials is a very recent theme attested by the fact that about 85% of the references reported in this review are published in the 2018–2022 period. In addition, the developments, challenges, and future perspectives as well as the future directions of these promising materials are discussed.