Lithium Electrochemical Tuning for Electrocatalysis

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 30; no. 48; pp. e1800978 - n/a
• Main Authors: Lu, Zhiyi, Jiang, Kun, Chen, Guangxu, Wang, Haotian, Cui, Yi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.11.2018; Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
• Subjects: 2D materials; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical composition; Chemical reactions; Electrocatalysis; electrochemical tuning; Energy conversion; Lithium; Lithium-ion batteries; Materials science; Organic chemistry; Performance enhancement; transition metal oxides; Tuning; electrochemical tuning; transition metal oxides; electrocatalysis; 2D materials
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201800978

Electrocatalysis is of great importance to a variety of energy conversion processes, where developing highly efficient catalysts is critical. While common strategies involve screening a wide range of materials with new chemical compositions or structures, a different approach to continuously, controllably, and effectively tune the electronic properties of existing catalytic materials for optimized activities has been demonstrated recently. Inspired by studies in lithium‐ion batteries, systematical lithium electrochemical tuning (LiET) methods such as Li intercalation, extraction, cycling, and strain engineering, are employed to effectively tune the electronic structures of different existing catalysts and thus improve their catalytic activities dramatically. Herein, the advantages of the LiET method in electrocatalysis are introduced, and then some recent representative examples in improving the performances of important electrochemical reactions are reviewed briefly. Lastly, a few promising directions on extending the applications of the LiET method in electrocatalysis are proposed. Lithium electrochemical tuning (LiET) methods, such as intercalation and extraction, have been demonstrated to be effective in tuning the electronic structures of existing catalysts and improving their electrocatalytic activities dramatically. The advantages of the LiET method in electrocatalysis are summarized, some representative examples in important electrochemical reactions are briefly reviewed, and a few promising directions for extending its applications are proposed.