Interfacial engineering of heterogeneous catalysts for electrocatalysis

Electrocatalysis is recognized as a practical process for chemical energy conversion, which has attracted considerable research efforts in the design and development of high-performing electrocatalysts in recent decades. The interface formed between two or more components in heterogeneous catalyst plays a critical role for electrocatalysis as it can tune the electron structure to enhance the catalytic performance. Although there are some reviews focusing on the progress about the interfacial engineering for electrocatalysis, a comprehensive discussion on the working mechanism of interface structures from design and identification is still lacking in this field. In this review, the recent advancement of interfacial engineering in heterogeneous catalyst for electrocatalytic application is reviewed. We start with introducing theoretical basics relay on electronic information of the interface structure and focusing on the interaction between the interface structure and reactant. Then, the most widely employed strategies for interface structure construction are summarized. Subsequently, the latest advanced techniques, involving ex situ and in situ approaches, for interface structure characterization and identification in electrocatalysis applications are discussed. Finally, some perspectives and challenges on materials design and research about interfacial engineering for electrocatalysis are represented.