Single-Atom Electrocatalysts.

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed the increasing production of the sustainable and renewable energy. The limitations of electrochemical performances are closely associated with the search for highly efficient electrocatalysts with more rational control of size, shape, composition and structure. Specifically, the rapidly emerging studies on single-atom catalysts (SACs) have sparked new interests in electrocatalysis because of the unique properties such as high catalytic activity, selectivity and 100% atom utilization. In this review, we introduce the innovative synthesis and advanced characterizations of SACs and primarily focus on their electrochemical applications in oxygen reduction/evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, hydrocarbon conversion reactions for fuel cells (methanol, ethanol and formic acid electrooxidation) and other related fields. Significantly, this unique single atom-depended electrocatalytic performance together with the underlying mechanism will also be discussed. Furthermore, future research directions and challenges are proposed to further realize the ultimate goal of tailoring single-atoms for electrochemical applications.