Issue 11, 2022

Single-atom-based catalysts for photoelectrocatalysis: challenges and opportunities

Abstract

Photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) has recently emerged as a promising strategy for utilizing solar energy due to its unique features in combining the merits of electrocatalysis and photocatalysis in solar energy harvesting, charge kinetics and catalytic reactions. However, it still encounters bottlenecks of scarce reaction sites and low product selectivity, restricting its development toward practical applications. Over the past decade, single-atom-based catalysts (SACs) with atomically dispersed metal sites have demonstrated immense potential in many catalytic reactions. In comparison with their nanoparticles (NPs) or bulk counterparts, the SACs normally have enormous surface active sites and trigger unique surface reactions, which, if rationally designed, can open up wide possibilities for PEC. Here, we overview the challenges and opportunities of SACs in PEC. We first summarize the advantages of SACs in enhancing the adsorption of reactants, charge transfer, catalytic selectivity, and catalytic activity. Then we discuss the rational design of single-atom active sites in the photoelectrochemical system. In the end, challenges and perspectives regarding the fundamental research and development of single-atom catalysts in PEC are also proposed. We foresee that this timely perspective can provide some important insights for researchers in this field and accelerate the development of PEC.

Graphical abstract: Single-atom-based catalysts for photoelectrocatalysis: challenges and opportunities

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
25 9 2021
Accepted
30 11 2021
First published
30 11 2021

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022,10, 5878-5888

Single-atom-based catalysts for photoelectrocatalysis: challenges and opportunities

D. Liu, X. Wan, T. Kong, W. Han and Y. Xiong, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 5878 DOI: 10.1039/D1TA08252C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements