Graphene-based transition metal oxide nanocomposites for the oxygen reduction reaction

The development of low cost, durable and efficient nanocatalysts to substitute expensive and rare noble metals (e.g. Pt, Au and Pd) in overcoming the sluggish kinetic process of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential to satisfy the demand for sustainable energy conversion and storage in the future. Graphene based transition metal oxide nanocomposites have extensively been proven to be a type of promising highly efficient and economic nanocatalyst for optimizing the ORR to solve the world-wide energy crisis. Synthesized nanocomposites exhibit synergetic advantages and avoid the respective disadvantages. In this feature article, we concentrate on the recent leading works of different categories of introduced transition metal oxides on graphene: from the commonly-used classes (FeOx, MnOx, and CoOx) to some rare and heat-studied issues (TiOx, NiCoOx and Co-MnOx). Moreover, the morphologies of the supported oxides on graphene with various dimensional nanostructures, such as one dimensional nanocrystals, two dimensional nanosheets/nanoplates and some special multidimensional frameworks are further reviewed. The strategies used to synthesize and characterize these well-designed nanocomposites and their superior properties for the ORR compared to the traditional catalysts are carefully summarized. This work aims to highlight the meaning of the multiphase establishment of graphene-based transition metal oxide nanocomposites and its structural-dependent ORR performance and mechanisms.