Consumption of traditional fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil) has resulted in escalated CO 2 concentration in air which is responsible for global climate change. Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) using renewable energy has emerged as a promising approach for converting CO 2 into fuels and value-added chemicals. However, CO 2 RR is challenged by several problems, including stable C=O bond (806 kJ/mol) in CO 2 , competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, low CO 2 solubility in aqueous electrolytes, and multi-products selectivity. Single atom-based catalysts (SACs) including heterogeneous single atom catalysts and molecular catalysts are promising materials for CO 2 reduction, attributed to their advantages of strong single atom-support interactions, maximum metal utilization, excellent catalytic activity and tunability over the steric and electronic properties of the active sites. However, heterogeneous SACs are restricted by particles agglomeration, low metal loading, and difficulty in large-scale production, while molecular catalysts generally suffer from moderate activity, stability, and poor electrical conductivity.
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Chuan Zhao from University of New South Wales, Australia reported a comprehensive review of recent progresses for CO 2 RR using SACs. The review summarized the fabrication strategies of SACs and highlighted the superior electrocatalytic properties of SACs toward CO 2 reduction. Latest developments in ex-situ and in situ /operando characterizations are discussed to probe the active sites, study the CO 2 reduction mechanism, and explore the catalyst structure-activity relationship. Future perspectives and challenges for CO 2 RR are pointed out as well. This review paper was published in Chinese Journal of Catalysis (https://doi.org/10.1016/S1872-2067(21)64000-7).
The study was financed by the Australian Research Council (FT170100224).
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About the Journal
Chinese Journal of Catalysis is co-sponsored by Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Chemical Society, and it is currently published by Elsevier group. This monthly journal publishes in English timely contributions of original and rigorously reviewed manuscripts covering all areas of catalysis. The journal publishes Reviews, Accounts, Communications, Articles, Highlights, Perspectives, and Viewpoints of highly scientific values that help understanding and defining of new concepts in both fundamental issues and practical applications of catalysis. Chinese Journal of Catalysis ranks among the top two journals in Applied Chemistry with a current SCI impact factor of 12.92. The Editors-in-Chief are Profs. Can Li and Tao Zhang.
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Chinese Journal of Catalysis