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Abstract Carbon nanomaterials are promising metal‐free catalysts for energy conversion and storage, but the catalysts are usually developed via traditional trial‐and‐error methods. To rationally design and accelerate the search for the highly efficient catalysts, it is necessary to establish design principles for the carbon‐based catalysts. Here, theoretical analysis and material design of metal‐free carbon nanomaterials as efficient photo‐/electrocatalysts to facilitate the critical chemical reactions in clean and sustainable energy technologies are reviewed. These reactions include the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells, the oxygen evolution reaction in metal–air batteries, the iodine reduction reaction in dye‐sensitized solar cells, the hydrogen evolution reaction in water splitting, and the carbon dioxide reduction in artificial photosynthesis. Basic catalytic principles, computationally guided design approaches and intrinsic descriptors, catalytic material design strategies, and future directions are discussed for the rational design and synthesis of highly efficient carbon‐based catalysts for clean energy technologies.
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Bioinspired and biomolecular catalysts for energy conversion and storage
Metalloenzymes are remarkable for facilitating challenging redox transformations with high efficiency and selectivity. In the area of alternative energy, scientists aim to capture these properties in bioinspired and engineered biomolecular catalysts for the efficient and fast production of fuels from low‐energy feedstocks such as water and carbon dioxide. In this short review, efforts to mimic biological catalysts for proton reduction and carbon dioxide reduction are highlighted. Two important recurring themes are the importance of the microenvironment of the catalyst active site and the key role of proton delivery to the active site in achieving desired reactivity. Perspectives on ongoing and future challenges are also provided.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2108219
- PAR ID:
- 10443425
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- FEBS Letters
- Volume:
- 597
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 0014-5793
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 174-190
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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