Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemistry Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
2. Creative Research Institute Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
3. Institute of Quantum Biophysics Sungkyunkwan University Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
Abstract
AbstractElectrocatalytic water splitting is regarded as one of the most promising strategies for producing clean and sustainable energy sources (H2 and O2) in cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively. Currently, transition metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as commercial Pt/C, IrO2, and RuO2 are still popular catalysts for industrial‐level HER and OER processes. However, both the high cost and low atomic utilization of NPs can not satisfy the requirements of atomic economy and green chemistry. Compared with NPs, metallic nanoclusters (NCs), which have higher atom utilization and optimized electronic structure than NPs, show unique activities for water splitting. In this review, the recently reported advanced design strategies for preparing various NCs are discussed in detail. The methods to control the particle size, coordinated environment, and morphology of NCs are also summarized. The electrochemical activity and stability of NCs can be influenced by the synergistic effect between NCs and supporting materials, which is also mentioned. Then, the recently reported state‐of‐art‐catalysts for both HER and OER along with the detailed catalytic mechanism are described to show the advanced design principles. Finally, the future perspectives and some remaining challenges are also presented.
Funder
National Research Foundation of Korea
Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
Subject
Inorganic Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Catalysis