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Review Article

Microenvironment regulation of M-N-C single-atom catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction

Li Zhang1,2, Qinglei Meng1, Ruixue Zheng1,3, Liuqing Wang1,3, Wei Xing1,3( ), Weiwei Cai2( ), Meiling Xiao1,3( )
State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
Sustainable Energy Laboratory, Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
School of Applied Chemistry and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
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Graphical Abstract

In this review, the research progress of the microenvironment regulation of metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalyst towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was summarized with the focus on linking active site structure with ORR activity.

Abstract

The development of cost-effective, robust, and durable electrocatalysts to replace the expensive Pt-based catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the trending frontier research topic in renewable energy and electrocatalysis. Particular attention has been paid to metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) single atom catalysts (SACs) due to their maximized atom utilization efficiency, biomimetic active site, and distinct electronic structure. More importantly, their catalytic properties can be further tailored by rationally regulating the microenvironment of active sites (i.e., M–N coordination number, heteroatom doping and substitution. Herein, we present a comprehensive summary of the recent advancement in the microenvironment regulation of M-N-C SACs towards improved ORR performance. The coordination environment manipulation regarding central metal and coordinated atoms is first discussed, focusing on the structure–function relationship. Apart from the near-range coordination, long-range substrate modulation including heteroatom doping, defect engineering is discussed as well. Besides, the synergy mechanism of nanoparticles and single atom sites to tune the electron cloud density at the active sites is summarized. Finally, we provide the challenges and outlook of the development of M-N-C SACs.

Keywords

single-atom catalystoxygen reduction reactionmicroenvironment regulationactive site structureelectronic structure

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Nano Research
Volume 16 Issue 4,
April 2023
Pages 4468-4487
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-023-5457-9
Cite this article:
Zhang L, Meng Q, Zheng R, et al. Microenvironment regulation of M-N-C single-atom catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction. Nano Research, 2023, 16(4): 4468-4487. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5457-9
Topics:
Electrocatalysis Oxygen reduction reaction

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Received: 23 November 2022
Revised: 23 December 2022
Accepted: 24 December 2022
Published: 14 March 2023
© Tsinghua University Press 2023
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