Fullerenes as Unique Modular Carbon Building Blocks for Advanced Electrocatalysis

Electrocatalytic reactions play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable energy technologies, particularly in the conversion of renewable resources into clean fuels. Achieving high-efficiency and durable electrocatalysts is essential for overcoming kinetic barriers in key processes. In this context, fullerenes have emerged as promising building blocks for catalyst design, owing to their unique structural and electronic characteristics. Unlike conventional carbon materials, fullerenes feature well-defined molecular frameworks, enabling precise modulation of active sites and facilitating structure-activity relationship studies. Their electron-buffering capacity enables dynamic modulation of active sites, while strong metal adsorption and spatial confinement facilitate the formation of stable, high-loading single-atom or cluster catalysts. Furthermore, their activated carbon cage surface allows flexible functionalization, offering a tunable platform for catalytic design. This review highlights the role of fullerenes in the rational design of next-generation electrocatalysts, providing mechanistic insights and recent advancements in fullerene-based systems.