Surface and Interface Engineering of Noble-Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for Efficient Energy Conversion Processes

Abstract

Developing cost-effective and high-performance electrocatalysts for renewable energy conversion and storage is motivated by increasing concerns regarding global energy security and creating sustainable technologies dependent on inexpensive and abundant resources. Recent achievements in the design and synthesis of efficient non-precious-metal and even non-metal electrocatalysts make the replacement of noble metal counterparts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with earth-abundant elements, for example, C, N, Fe, Mn, and Co, a realistic possibility. It has been found that surface atomic engineering (e.g., heteroatom-doping) and interface atomic or molecular engineering (e.g., interfacial bonding) can induce novel physicochemical properties and strong synergistic effects for electrocatalysts, providing new and efficient strategies to greatly enhance the catalytic activities. In this Account, we discuss recent progress in the design and fabrication of efficient electrocatalysts based on carbon materials, graphitic carbon nitride, and transition metal oxides or hydroxides for efficient ORR, OER, and HER through surface and interfacial atomic and molecular engineering. Atomic and molecular engineering of carbon materials through heteroatom doping with one or more elements of noticeably different electronegativities can maximally tailor their electronic structures and induce a synergistic effect to increase electrochemical activity. Nonetheless, the electrocatalytic performance of chemically modified carbonaceous materials remains inferior to that of their metallic counterparts, which is mainly due to the relatively limited amount of electrocatalytic active sites induced by heteroatom doping. Accordingly, coupling carbon substrates with other active electrocatalysts to produce composite structures can impart novel physicochemical properties, thereby boosting the electroactivity even further. Although the majority of carbon-based materials remain uncompetitive with state-of-the-art metal-based catalysts for the aforementioned catalytic processes, non-metal carbon hybrids have already shown performance that typically only conventional noble metals or transition metal materials can achieve. The idea of hybridized carbon-based catalysts possessing unique active surfaces and macro- or nanostructures is addressed herein. For metal–carbon couples, the incorporation of carbon can effectively compensate for the intrinsic deficiency in conductivity of the metallic components. Chemical modification of carbon frameworks, such as nitrogen doping, not only can change the electron-donor character, but also can introduce anchoring sites for immobilizing active metallic centers to form metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) species, which are thought to facilitate the electrocatalytic process. With thoughtful material design, control over the porosity of composites, the molecular architecture of active metal moieties and macromorphologies of the whole catalysts can be achieved, leading to a better understanding structure–activity relationships. We hope that we can offer new insight into material design, particularly the role of chemical composition and structural properties in electrochemical performance and reaction mechanisms.