Yang Ling, Grzeschik Roland, Schlücker Sebastian, Xie Wei
Lab of Advanced Energy Materials Chemistry (Ministry of Education), Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage Center, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Biosensing and Molecular Recognition College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Weijin Rd. 94, 300071, Tianjin, China.
Department of Chemistry and Center for Nanointegration Duisburg-Essen (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), Universitätsstrasse 5, 45141, Essen, Germany.
Chemistry. 2024 Sep 5;30(50):e202401718. doi: 10.1002/chem.202401718. Epub 2024 Aug 19.
Contact electrification (CE) is an emerging strategy for controlling the performance of metal nanoparticle (NP) catalysts. The underlying physical principle of this control is the sensitivity of the Fermi level to metal-metal contacts. This change in electronic structure has a direct impact on surface properties and chemical reactivity. The concept article briefly introduces the basic theory of CE and its relationship to catalytic performance. We then highlight selected recent examples of advances in the preparation of hybrid metal NP assemblies, experimental techniques for characterizing CE, and finally applications of CE for altering catalytic performance.