Issue 22, 2023

Carbon-based single-atom catalysts: impacts of atomic coordination on the oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

Slow oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics is the main factor restricting the development of fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Carbon-based single-atom catalysts (SACs) have the advantages of high electrical conductivity, maximal atom utilization, and high mass activity, thus showing great potential in exploring low-cost and high-efficiency ORR catalysts. For carbon-based SACs, the defects in the carbon support, the coordination of non-metallic heteroatoms, and the coordination number have a great influence on the adsorption of the reaction intermediates, thus significantly affecting the catalytic performance. Consequently, it is of vital importance to summarize the impacts of atomic coordination on the ORR. In this review, we focus on the regulation of the central atoms and coordination atoms of carbon-based SACs for the ORR. The survey involves various SACs, from noble metals (Pt) to transition metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, etc.) and major group metals (Mg, Bi, etc.). At the same time, the influence of defects in the carbon support, the coordination of non-metallic heteroatoms (such as B, N, P, S, O, Cl, etc.), and the coordination number of the well-defined SACs on the ORR were put forward. Then, the impact of the neighboring metal monomers for SACs on the ORR performance is discussed. Finally, the current challenges and prospects for the future development of carbon-based SACs in coordination chemistry are presented.

Graphical abstract: Carbon-based single-atom catalysts: impacts of atomic coordination on the oxygen reduction reaction

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
20 3 2023
Accepted
27 4 2023
First published
28 4 2023

Nanoscale, 2023,15, 9605-9634

Carbon-based single-atom catalysts: impacts of atomic coordination on the oxygen reduction reaction

Z. Kang, X. Wang, D. Wang, B. Bai, Y. Zhao, X. Xiang, B. Zhang and H. Shang, Nanoscale, 2023, 15, 9605 DOI: 10.1039/D3NR01272G

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