Sulfur Modified Carbon-Based Single-Atom Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Reactions

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Efficient and sustainable energy development is crucial for addressing global energy and environmental challenges.
• Single-atom catalysts (SACs) offer high atom utilization efficiency and catalytic activity, showing promise for energy and chemical production.
• The M-N4 active center model requires improved catalytic activity, selectivity, and durability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review precise synthetic methods for introducing sulfur into M-N4 active sites.
• To explore the application of sulfur-doped carbon-based SACs in various electrocatalytic reactions.
• To elucidate how sulfur doping tunes electronic structure and ligand configuration for enhanced catalytic performance.

Main Methods:

• Detailed description of synthetic strategies for sulfur incorporation into M-N4 structures.
• Systematic review of sulfur-doped carbon-based SACs in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and oxygen evolution reaction (OER).
• Combination of characterization and testing methods to analyze electronic structure and catalytic performance.

Main Results:

• Sulfur incorporation into M-N4 active sites is achieved through precise synthetic control.
• Sulfur doping effectively tunes the electronic structure and ligand configuration of the central metal atom.
• Enhanced catalytic activity, selectivity, and durability are observed in various electrocatalytic reactions.

Conclusions:

• Sulfur doping is a feasible and effective strategy to improve the performance of M-N4 based SACs.
• The review provides insights into the structure-property relationships of sulfur-doped carbon-based SACs.
• Future development directions for sulfur-doped carbon-based SACs are proposed.