Recent progress in homogeneous electrocatalytic water splitting by bimetallic macrocyclic complexes

As a core technology that bridges energy and chemical conversion, electrocatalysis plays a crucial role in achieving efficient energy conversion. Its performance directly determines the efficiency, selectivity, and economy of energy conversion processes. Therefore, the development and mechanistic investigation of high-performance electrocatalysts have become a focus of research in energy chemistry. Inspired by bimetallic enzymes in nature, bimetallic catalysts that combine synergistic catalytic effects with structural tunability have attracted considerable attention from the scientific community. Among various catalysts, macrocyclic compounds represented by porphyrins and corroles are regarded as ideal scaffolds for constructing bimetallic catalytic centers. Such bimetallic macrocyclic complexes exhibit unique advantages and great application potential in electrocatalytic water splitting, emerging as a promising research frontier. This review systematically summarizes the structural design strategies of bimetallic macrocyclic catalysts and their catalytic performance and mechanisms in water splitting. By integrating experimental data and theoretical calculations, the structure-activity relationships of these complexes are clarified. This paper provides theoretical guidance and technical references for the subsequent design and synthesis of high-activity, selective, and stable bimetallic macrocyclic electrocatalysts. This study not only promotes the structural innovation and performance optimization of bimetallic macrocyclic complexes but also has important theoretical value and practical significance for accelerating the efficient conversion and high-density storage of clean energy, facilitating global energy transition, and achieving the dual carbon goals.