image: THIS REVIEW INTRODUCES THE SYNTHETIC STRATEGIES OF SINGLE ATOM CATALYSTS (SACS), SUMMARIZES THE ELECTROCHEMICAL CO2 REDUCTION REACTION (CO2RR) APPLICATIONS OF SACS AND MOLECULAR CATALYSTS, DISCUSSES THE CHARACTERIZATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS IN SITU/OPERANDO SKILLS TO REVEAL THE IN-DEPTH CATALYTIC MECHANISM AND PROVIDES FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF SACS AND MOLECULAR CATALYSTS FOR CO2RR. view more
Credit: Chinese Journal of Catalysis
Consumption of traditional fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil) has resulted in escalated CO2 concentration in air which is responsible for global climate change. Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) using renewable energy has emerged as a promising approach for converting CO2 into fuels and value-added chemicals. However, CO2RR is challenged by several problems, including stable C=O bond (806 kJ/mol) in CO2, competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, low CO2 solubility in aqueous electrolytes, and multi-products selectivity. Single atom-based catalysts (SACs) including heterogeneous single atom catalysts and molecular catalysts are promising materials for CO2 reduction, attributed to their advantages of strong single atom-support interactions, maximum metal utilization, excellent catalytic activity and tunability over the steric and electronic properties of the active sites. However, heterogeneous SACs are restricted by particles agglomeration, low metal loading, and difficulty in large-scale production, while molecular catalysts generally suffer from moderate activity, stability, and poor electrical conductivity.
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Chuan Zhao from University of New South Wales, Australia reported a comprehensive review of recent progresses for CO2RR using SACs. The review summarized the fabrication strategies of SACs and highlighted the superior electrocatalytic properties of SACs toward CO2 reduction. Latest developments in ex-situ and in situ/operando characterizations are discussed to probe the active sites, study the CO2 reduction mechanism, and explore the catalyst structure-activity relationship. Future perspectives and challenges for CO2RR are pointed out as well. This review paper was published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-2067(21)64000-7).
The study was financed by the Australian Research Council (FT170100224).
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About the Journal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top two journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 12.92. The Editors-in-Chief are Profs. Can Li and Tao Zhang.
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Chinese Journal of Catalysis