Recent progress in curved materials for oxygen electrocatalysis

Abstract

The preparation and utilization of hydrogen (H₂) energy rely on the water splitting and fuel cell technology, specifically involving the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), respectively. Both the OER and ORR contain complex multi-proton and multi-electron transfer processes with slow kinetics and high overpotentials, which mainly depend on precious metal-based catalysts such as RuO₂ and Pt/C, respectively. Therefore, the design and development of low-cost and efficient OER and ORR catalysts has become an urgent need. In recent years, curved nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates, where strain-induced electronic modulation (e.g., d-band center adjustment) optimizes intermediate adsorption to enhance activity. Curved nanomaterials mainly include curved carbon layers, carbon spheres, twisted nanowires, helical nanorods, curved molecular catalysts, carbon nanotubes, nanocones, and curved nanosheets. In this review, we focus on the design strategies and synthesis techniques of highly curved materials used for the OER and ORR. Mechanistic correlations between curvature and OER/ORR performance are discussed in detail. By elucidating structure–activity relationships, this review provides a roadmap for designing sustainable electrocatalysts, offering broader insights into curvature-driven material innovation for energy applications.