Recent advances in metal-based Janus nanomaterials: syntheses and electrocatalytic applications

Abstract

Metal-based heterostructures have grabbed increasing research interests due to their intriguing properties and promising applications, especially in catalysis. Regulating the spatial configuration of distinct components in metal-based heterostructures has been considered a promising route to modulate their properties, functions, and performances. In particular, metal-based Janus heterostructures with unique asymmetric configurations of the components have shown some novel merits and properties that are unattainable in other traditional symmetric architectures. This review highlights the most recent progress in metal-based nanomaterials with Janus architectures, focusing on their synthesis strategies and electrocatalytic applications. First, typical synthetic approaches, including co-reduction synthesis, seed-mediated growth, post-synthetic treatment, and other methods, are systematically summarized. Then, the applications of metal-based Janus nanomaterials in a range of electrocatalytic reactions, including hydrogen electrocatalysis, oxygen electrocatalysis, small-molecule oxidation reaction, nitrate reduction reaction, and carbon dioxide reduction reaction, are presented by highlighting the structure-performance relationship. Finally, current challenges and future directions in this exciting field are discussed.