Metal-organic framework derived ultralow-loading platinum-copper catalyst: a highly active and durable bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen-reduction and evolution reactions

Achievements and Challenges in Surfactants-Assisted Synthesis of MOFs-Derived Transition Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for ORR, OER, and HER

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are excellent precursors for preparing transition metal and nitrogen co-doped carbon catalysts, which have been widely utilized in the field of electrocatalysis since their initial development. However, the original MOFs derived catalysts have been greatly limited in their development and application due to their disadvantages such as metal atom aggregation, structural collapse, and narrow pore channels. Recently, surfactants-assisted MOFs derived catalysts have attracted much attention from researchers due to their advantages such as hierarchical porous structure, increased specific surface area, and many exposed active sites. This review mainly focuses on the synthesis methods of surfactants-assisted MOFs derived catalysts and comprehensively introduces the action of surfactants in MOFs derived materials and the structure-activity relationship between the catalysts and the oxygen reduction reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and hydrogen evolution reaction performance. Apparently, the aims of this review not only introduce the status of surfactants-assisted MOFs derived catalysts in the field of electrocatalysis but also contribute to the rational design and synthesis of MOFs derived catalysts for fuel cells, metal-air cells, and electrolysis of water toward hydrogen production.

Recent advances in scanning electrochemical microscopy for energy applications

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a scanning probe technique capable of imaging substrate topography and measuring the local electrochemical reactivity of interfaces. Since introduced by Allen J. Bard and co-workers in 1989, it has expanded into a wide variety of fields, such as nanomaterial characterization, energy, kinetics, electrocatalysis, metal anti-corrosion, biology and instrumental development. SECM uses an ultra-microelectrode as the probe to record redox current during probe scanning across sample surfaces to obtain local topography and electrochemical reactivity of samples. Specifically, three main topics are reviewed and discussed: (1) the working principles and operating modes of SECM; (2) the recent developments in the application of SECM in energy science, including solar cell, rechargeable batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors, with an emphasis on the last five years (2019-2023); (3) the perspectives and outlook of SECM in various energy devices. We anticipate that a wider adoption of SECM by the energy community will allow for the operando characterization of many types of reactions, and hold the potential to provide new insights into the structure/activity and composition/activity relationships.

Graphene-Based Metal-Organic Framework Hybrids for Applications in Catalysis, Environmental, and Energy Technologies

Current energy and environmental challenges demand the development and design of multifunctional porous materials with tunable properties for catalysis, water purification, and energy conversion and storage. Because of their amenability to de novo reticular chemistry, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have become key materials in this area. However, their usefulness is often limited by low chemical stability, conductivity and inappropriate pore sizes. Conductive two-dimensional (2D) materials with robust structural skeletons and/or functionalized surfaces can form stabilizing interactions with MOF components, enabling the fabrication of MOF nanocomposites with tunable pore characteristics. Graphene and its functional derivatives are the largest class of 2D materials and possess remarkable compositional versatility, structural diversity, and controllable surface chemistry. Here, we critically review current knowledge concerning the growth, structure, and properties of graphene derivatives, MOFs, and their graphene@MOF composites as well as the associated structure-property-performance relationships. Synthetic strategies for preparing graphene@MOF composites and tuning their properties are also comprehensively reviewed together with their applications in gas storage/separation, water purification, catalysis (organo-, electro-, and photocatalysis), and electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Current challenges in the development of graphene@MOF hybrids and their practical applications are addressed, revealing areas for future investigation. We hope that this review will inspire further exploration of new graphene@MOF hybrids for energy, electronic, biomedical, and photocatalysis applications as well as studies on previously unreported properties of known hybrids to reveal potential "diamonds in the rough".