Wang Lei, Ma Zequan, Xue Jia, Dong Yilin, Chen Lin-Wei, Gu Yu, Shi Hui
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China.
School of Pharmacy & Institute of Pharmaceutics, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, 230012, China.
Nanoscale. 2024 Aug 13;16(31):14687-14706. doi: 10.1039/d4nr01939c.
Atomically ordered intermetallic compounds (IMCs) have been extensively studied for exploring catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and longevity. Compared to random alloys, IMCs present a more pronounced geometric and electronic effect with desirable catalytic performance. Their well-defined structure makes IMCs ideal model catalysts for studying the catalytic mechanism. This review focuses especially on elemental composition, electron transfer, and structure/phase evolution under high temperature treatment conditions, providing direct evidence for the migration and rearrangement of metal atoms through electron microscopy. We then present the outstanding applications of IMCs in growing single-walled nanotubes, hydrogenation/dehydrogenation reactions, and electrocatalysis from the perspective of electronic, geometric, strain, and bifunctional effects of ordered IMCs. Finally, the current obstacles associated with the use of techniques are proposed, as well as future research possibilities.
