Role of Organic Components in Electrocatalysis for Renewable Energy Storage

Abstract

Carbon dioxide electroreduction and water splitting are known as two promising strategies to convert renewable intermittent electrical energy into chemical energy. Thus, the three half-reactions, namely, CO reduction reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, and the oxygen evolution counter reaction, in these two electrolytic processes have attracted wide research interest. Organic polymer electrocatalysts or electrocatalysts containing organic components play important roles in these catalytic processes. It has been shown that the organic molecules can efficiently catalyze the reactions themselves, and modulate the active sites towards high selectivity and efficiency. The roles of the organic molecules in conducting polymers, the metal complexes, and the framework materials are extracted for the three half-reactions mentioned above, and this comprehensive review will serve as a guide for future research and aid in the design of electrocatalysts related to organic molecules.

Realization of Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Electrocatalysis by In Situ Stabilization of Co Nanoparticles in a Redox‐Active Donor‐Acceptor Porous Organic Polymer

“…Recently, porous organic polymers (POPs) have attracted much attention for designing heterogeneous catalysts due to their easy synthesis, low cost, high thermal/chemical stability and permanent porosity . Researchers including our group have demonstrated an effective approach to develop efficient electrocatalyst based on redox active POP materials by integrating electron donor and acceptor organic building blocks .…”

Regulation of Electrocatalytic Activity by Local Microstructure: Focusing on the Catalytic Active Zone

“…The competitive reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), is inevitable at high potential, and the forming bubbles would reduce the effective area of the catalyst and accelerate the decay of the cathode catalyst. In addition, the current reduction efficiency is still too low to apply in industrial, and the catalytic life is short, resulting in huge catalyst supplement costs [78,79] . Therefore, it is necessary to design new high performance CO 2 RR catalysts with low cost and energy consumption.…”

“…In addition, the current reduction efficiency is still too low to apply in industrial, and the catalytic life is short, resulting in huge catalyst supplement costs. [78,79] Therefore, it is necessary to design new high performance CO 2 RR catalysts with low cost and energy consumption. The strategy of local microstructure active zone provides a new direction for the implementation of high performance CO 2 RR electrocatalysts.…”

Highly Effective OER Electrocatalysts Generated from a Two-Dimensional Metal–Organic Framework Including a Sulfur-Containing Linker without Doping

“…Carbides produced from first transition series metals, sulfides, and other compounds have shown promise for use in water electrolysis. − Cobalt, for example, is abundant, inexpensive, and has a unique 3d electron configuration. Its derivatives, such as cobalt oxide, cobalt sulfide, cobalt selenide, and cobalt nitride, have piqued researchers’ interest as catalysts because of their superior electrochemical properties. − Transition-metal sulfide (TMS) has attracted a lot of attention because of its low cost, strong catalytic activity, outstanding operational stability, and especially its distinctive 2D layer. − The 2D nanosheets, on the other hand, will experience irreversible aggregation due to van der Waals pressure, drastically reducing the specific surface area and affecting their electrochemical characteristics. − As a result, one of the viable ways of exploring efficient electrocatalysts is to develop matching sulfide materials utilizing effective templates. − …”