Accelerating electrochemistry with metal nanowires

Abstract

Abstract Scalable, solution-phase syntheses of metal nanowires are enabling their increased use in electrochemical processes. This review highlights recent results demonstrating how metal nanowires can exhibit better durability and higher activity than traditional metal nanoparticle electrocatalysts on carbon supports. Metal nanowires can also form interconnected two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) networks that eliminate the need for a carbon support, thus eliminating the detrimental effects of carbon corrosion. Porous 3D networks of nanowires can be used as flow-through electrodes with the highest specific surface areas and mass transport coefficients obtained to date, enabling dramatic increases in the productivity of electrochemical reactions. Nanowire networks are also serving as 3D current collectors that improve the capacity of batteries. The tunable surface structure and dimensions of metal nanowires offer researchers a new opportunity to create electrodes that are tailored from the atomic scale to the microscale to improve electrochemical performance.