Electrochemical synthesis of catalytic materials for energy catalysis

Abstract

Electrocatalysis is a process dealing with electrochemical reactions in the interconversion of chemical energy and electrical energy. Precise synthesis of catalytically active nanostructures is one of the key challenges that hinder the practical application of many important energy-related electrocatalytic reactions. Compared with conventional wet-chemical, solid-state and vapor deposition synthesis, electrochemical synthesis is a simple, fast, cost-effective and precisely controllable method for the preparation of highly efficient catalytic materials. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the electrochemical synthesis of catalytic materials such as single atoms, spherical and shaped nanoparticles, nanosheets, nanowires, core-shell nanostructures, layered nanomaterials, dendritic nanostructures, hierarchically porous nanostructures as well as composite nanostructures. Fundamental aspects of electrochemical synthesis and several main electrochemical synthesis methods are discussed. Structure-performance correlations between electrochemically synthesized catalysts and their unique electrocatalytic properties are exemplified using selected examples. We offer the reader with a basic guide to the synthesis of highly efficient catalysts using electrochemical methods, and we propose some research challenges and future opportunities in this field. The electrochemical synthesis methods for the preparation of catalytically active nanostructures are briefly introduced and the unique roles of electrochemically synthesized catalysts in energy-related electrocatalytic applications are exemplified.