Zhang Huimin, Liu Wenhao, Cao Dong, Cheng Daojian
State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, People's Republic of China.
iScience. 2022 May 6;25(6):104367. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104367. eCollection 2022 Jun 17.
In recent years, single-atom catalysts (SACs) with unique electronic structure and coordination environment have attracted much attention due to its maximum atomic efficiency in the catalysis fields. However, it is still a great challenge to rationally regulate the coordination environments of SACs and improve the loading of metal atoms for SACs during catalysis progress. Generally, carbon-based materials with excellent electrical conductivity and large specific surface area are widely used as catalyst supports to stabilize metal atoms. Meanwhile, carbon-based material-supported SACs have also been extensively studied and applied in various energy conversion reactions, such as hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CORR), and nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). Herein, rational synthesis methods and advanced characterization techniques were introduced and summarized in this review. Then, the theoretical design strategies and construction methods for carbon-based material-supported SACs in electrocatalysis applications were fully discussed, which are of great significance for guiding the coordination regulation and improving the loading of SACs. In the end, the challenges and future perspectives of SACs were proposed, which could largely contribute to the development of single atom catalysts at the turning point.
近年来，具有独特电子结构和配位环境的单原子催化剂（SACs）因其在催化领域的最大原子效率而备受关注。然而，在催化过程中合理调控SACs的配位环境并提高其金属原子负载量仍然是一个巨大的挑战。一般来说，具有优异导电性和大比表面积的碳基材料被广泛用作催化剂载体以稳定金属原子。同时，碳基材料负载的SACs也已在各种能量转换反应中得到广泛研究和应用，如析氢反应（HER）、析氧反应（OER）、氧还原反应（ORR）、二氧化碳还原反应（CORR）和氮还原反应（NRR）。在此，本综述介绍并总结了合理的合成方法和先进的表征技术。然后，充分讨论了碳基材料负载的SACs在电催化应用中的理论设计策略和构建方法，这对于指导SACs的配位调控和提高其负载量具有重要意义。最后，提出了SACs面临的挑战和未来展望，这在很大程度上有助于单原子催化剂在转折点的发展。
