Bib Khan Jala, Liang Yuan-Chang
Department of Optoelectronics and Materials Technology, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung, 20224, Taiwan.
Chem Rec. 2025 Jul;25(7):e202500032. doi: 10.1002/tcr.202500032. Epub 2025 Apr 10.
Green energy, including metal-air batteries and fuel cells, is the key solution to climate change. The efficiency of these energy technologies depends on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode, which is a slow process requiring expensive noble metal catalysts, like platinum, for improvement. The high cost of this catalyst restricts its widespread use in producing metal-air batteries and fuel cells. An alternative approach is to utilize non-noble metals, such as transition and rare earth metal catalysts, which are more cost-effective and demonstrate comparable durability and effectiveness to noble metals. With their affordability and distinct electronic structure, these non-noble metals have the potential to revolutionize the industry. Transition and rare earth metals can enhance the effectiveness of ORR catalysts by manipulating the electronic and surface molecular makeup through 'doping' and 'synergistic effects'. This article discusses the roles of various non-noble metals in the ORR process, covering fundamental to advanced levels, as well as the progression from mono to high-entropy systems (systems with increasing complexity and potential for improved performance), including bi-, tri-, and tetra-metallic catalysts in a comprehensive manner, and emphasizes opportunities for researchers to propose innovative strategies for optimizing the ORR process.
绿色能源，包括金属空气电池和燃料电池，是应对气候变化的关键解决方案。这些能源技术的效率取决于阴极的氧还原反应（ORR），这是一个缓慢的过程，需要昂贵的贵金属催化剂（如铂）来改善。这种催化剂的高成本限制了其在生产金属空气电池和燃料电池中的广泛应用。另一种方法是使用非贵金属，如过渡金属和稀土金属催化剂，它们更具成本效益，并且在耐久性和有效性方面与贵金属相当。凭借其可承受性和独特的电子结构，这些非贵金属有潜力彻底改变该行业。过渡金属和稀土金属可以通过“掺杂”和“协同效应”来操纵电子和表面分子组成，从而提高ORR催化剂的有效性。本文全面讨论了各种非贵金属在ORR过程中的作用，涵盖了从基础到高级的层面，以及从单金属到高熵体系（具有越来越高的复杂性和性能提升潜力的体系）的进展，包括双金属、三金属和四金属催化剂，并强调了研究人员提出优化ORR过程创新策略的机会。
