Applications of Atomic Catalyst Platforms in Electrochemical Oxygen Evolution

ABSTRACT

The electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is cornerstone reaction used for sustainable energy‐related devices. However, its sluggish reaction kinetics, stemming from the complex four‐electron transfer mechanism, pose a critical bottleneck, which drives the pursuit of high‑efficiency catalytic materials. Atomic catalysts are currently regarded as highly compelling electrocatalytic platforms for tackling this challenge, garnering tremendous research attention originating from their definite active sites, high metal‑atom usage, and exceptional selectivity. This review outlines the recent advances of atomic catalysts for OER electrocatalysis. To begin with, the microstructure regulation of atomic catalysts is systematically presented from three aspects: metal centers, support carriers, and metal‐support interaction. Furthermore, OER mechanisms are summarized, and the electrocatalytic OER behaviors of atom‑dispersed systems, namely single‐atom catalysts (SACs), dual‐atom catalysts (DACs), multi‐atom catalysts (MACs), and atomic array catalysts (AACs), are elaborated. The intrinsic structure‐activity correlation is comprehensively analyzed with illustrative examples. Following that, the application potentials of atomic catalysts in OER‐relevant electrochemical energy devices exemplified by water electrolyzers and metal‐air batteries are discussed. In the final section, the existing bottlenecks and prospective research orientations for atomic catalysts toward OER are proposed.