Atomically Dispersed Reactive Centers for Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction and Water Splitting

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrocatalytic energy conversion is crucial for addressing fossil fuel depletion and environmental issues.
• Developing stable and highly efficient electrocatalysts is essential for advancing these technologies.
• Single-atom catalysts (SACs) represent a promising class of materials with atomically dispersed active sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize recent advancements in atomically dispersed catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction and water splitting.
• To elaborate on the catalytic mechanisms and structure-activity relationships of SACs.
• To highlight challenges and future prospects in single-atom catalysis for energy conversion.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent developments in single-atom catalysis.
• Analysis of catalytic mechanisms informed by operando investigations.
• Elaboration of structure-activity relationships in SACs.

Main Results:

• Recent progress in SACs for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction and water splitting is summarized.
• Catalytic mechanisms and structure-activity relationships are detailed.
• Key challenges and future research directions are identified.

Conclusions:

• Single-atom catalysts show significant promise for electrocatalytic energy conversion.
• Understanding the coordination environment and electronic interactions is key to optimizing SAC performance.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges and fully realize the potential of SACs.