Yan Qingdian, Li Xianghong, Luo Jianbin, Zhao Ming
Department of Materials Science & Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore.
Centre for Hydrogen Innovations, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117580, Singapore.
Chem Biomed Imaging. 2025 Mar 7;3(5):280-300. doi: 10.1021/cbmi.4c00112. eCollection 2025 May 26.
The pressing challenges of the energy crisis and environmental problems necessitate the pursuit of efficient and sustainable energy conversion technologies, wherein catalytic processes play a vital role in addressing these issues. Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy (SMFM) offers a transformative approach to understanding various catalytic reactions by enabling real-time visualization of molecular adsorption, diffusion, and transformation on catalytic surfaces. The unprecedented insights into the spatial distribution of active sites, catalytic heterogeneity, and the dynamics of key intermediates result in single- or subparticle level structure-property relations, thereby offering insightful perspectives for catalyst design and mechanistic understanding of energy-related catalytic processes. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent progress in using SMFM for investigating energy-related catalytic reactions. The advancement in SMFM imaging techniques for investigating nonfluorescent chemical processes is also highlighted. Finally, we conclude the review by commenting on the current challenges and prospects in advancing SMFM in energy research. We hope that the capable SMFM imaging techniques and insights will promote the development and realistic application of various energy-related catalytic reactions, together with inspiring researchers to explore the power of SMFM in other applications.
能源危机和环境问题带来的紧迫挑战使得人们必须追求高效且可持续的能源转换技术，其中催化过程在解决这些问题中起着至关重要的作用。单分子荧光显微镜（SMFM）提供了一种变革性的方法，通过实时可视化催化表面上分子的吸附、扩散和转化来理解各种催化反应。对活性位点的空间分布、催化异质性以及关键中间体动力学的前所未有的深入了解，产生了单粒子或亚粒子水平的结构-性质关系，从而为催化剂设计和对能源相关催化过程的机理理解提供了深刻的见解。在本综述中，我们概述了使用SMFM研究能源相关催化反应的最新进展。还强调了用于研究非荧光化学过程的SMFM成像技术的进展。最后，我们通过评论推进SMFM在能源研究中的当前挑战和前景来结束本综述。我们希望强大的SMFM成像技术和见解将促进各种能源相关催化反应的发展和实际应用，同时激励研究人员探索SMFM在其他应用中的潜力。
