Steering Catalytic Selectivity with Atomically Dispersed Metal Electrocatalysts for Renewable Energy Conversion and Commodity Chemical Production

Conspectus Electrocatalysis is a key driver in promoting the paradigm shift from the current fossil-fuel-based hydrocarbon economy to a renewable-energy-driven hydrogen economy. The success of electrocatalysis hinges primarily on achieving high catalytic selectivity along with maximum activity and sustained longevity. Many electrochemical reactions proceed through multiple pathways, requiring highly selective catalysts. Atomically dispersed metal catalysts have emerged as a new frontier in heterogeneous catalysis. In addition to the widely perceived advantages of maximized active site utilization and substantially reduced metal content, they have shown different catalytic selectivities in some electrocatalytic reactions compared to the traditional nanoparticle (NP)-based catalysts. Although there have been significant advances in their synthesis, the highly energetic nature of a single a…