Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2024, Vol. 58: 86-104.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64600-5

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Progress on facet engineering of catalysts for application in photo/electro-catalysis

Qi Li, Jiehao Li, Huimin Bai, Fatang Li*()   

  1. Hebei Key Laboratory of Photoelectric Control on Surface and Interface, College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, Hebei, China
  • Received:2023-12-06 Accepted:2024-01-10 Online:2024-03-18 Published:2024-03-28
  • Contact: *E-mail: lifatang@126.com (F. Li).
  • About author:Fatang Li is a professor at College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, China. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Wuhan University of Technology, China, in 1996 and 1999, respectively. Then he worked in Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang, China. In 2007, he received his Ph.D. degree in industrial catalysis from Tianjin University, China. He was a visiting scholar in School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Adelaide under the supervision of Prof. Shizhang Qiao from 2014 to 2015. He was selected in “National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Project” and “National Young and Middle-Aged Experts with Outstanding Contributions” in 2020, “Distinguished Young Scholars of Hebei Province” in 2015, and “New Century Excellent Talents Project” in 2012. His current scientific interests focus on photo/electro-catalytic nanomaterials for environmental protection and energy conversion. He has coauthored more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., Adv. Mater.
    1 Contributed equally to this work.
  • Supported by:
    Natural National Science Foundation of China(22178084);Natural National Science Foundation of China(21776059);National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFE0101800);Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province(B2021208005)

Abstract:

The conversion and storage of solar or electrical energy into chemical energy through photo/electro-catalysis technology shows fascinating potential for alleviating the energy crisis. The application of facet engineering in photo/electrocatalytic materials has shown significant advantages, making it an attractive and challenging topic at the intersection of physics and chemistry. In recent years, from basic scientific research to practical applications, facet engineering has made significant progress in photo/electro-catalytic reactions. In this review, we mainly focus on the microscopic mechanisms of facet engineering and how it specifically affects photo/electro-catalytic reactions, including CO2 reduction, hydrogen evolution, and nitrogen reduction. The microscopic mechanisms are elucidated and direct evidence for improving catalytic reactions is revealed through advanced spectroscopic characterization and theoretical analysis. Based on the microscopic mechanisms of facet engineering, the design principles and breakthrough directions for facet engineering are proposed, such as LSPR and single atom modification etc. In particular, we emphasize the controllable preparation methods for facet exposure from the aspects of capping agents, pH regulation and precursor hydrolysis, etc. Finally, the outlooks and future development prospects of facet engineering are briefly discussed.

Key words: Facet engineering, Photo/electro-catalysis, Microscopic mechanism, Controllable preparation, Design principle