Issue 43, 2019

Reactive nanotemplates for synthesis of highly efficient electrocatalysts: beyond simple morphology transfer

Abstract

Efficient electrocatalysts for energy conversion in general, and fuel cell operation and water electrolysis in particular, are pivotal for carbon-free hydrogen production. While the requirements of successful electrocatalysts include a high number density of catalytically active sites, high surface-to-volume ratio, inherently high catalytic activity, and robustness of the catalyst surface structure under harsh operating conditions, it is extremely difficult to synthesize nanocatalysts that could possess all these structural characteristics. Nanotemplate-mediated synthesis, namely, the coating or filling of a template with a desired material phase followed by the removal of the template, has captured the interest of researchers because of the ease of creating hollow-structured nanocatalysts with a high surface to volume ratio. Recent studies, however, have revealed that nanotemplates could be more than just passive supports because they greatly affect catalytic performance by creating an unusual synergy between the substrate and catalyst and by providing dopants to the actual catalyst phase owing to their reactive nature. In this review, we discuss the most notable recent advances in the nanotemplate-based synthesis of electrocatalysts as well as the unusual effects of nanotemplates on the performance of nanocatalysts. We also provide an outlook for this fledgling field so that future research efforts could be focused on the development of practically useful electrocatalysts that could shape the future of energy technologies.

Graphical abstract: Reactive nanotemplates for synthesis of highly efficient electrocatalysts: beyond simple morphology transfer

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
08 7月 2019
Accepted
07 10月 2019
First published
08 10月 2019

Nanoscale, 2019,11, 20392-20410

Reactive nanotemplates for synthesis of highly efficient electrocatalysts: beyond simple morphology transfer

J. Kim, M. Jun, S. Choi, J. Jo and K. Lee, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 20392 DOI: 10.1039/C9NR05750A

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