Advancements in synthetic and electrocatalytic exploitation of guest-host intercalated 2D materials

The emergence and development of layered materials have shown great promise for many applications, especially in recent years, the effective modulation of the physicochemical properties of layered materials by intercalation chemistry has led to great potential in material design. In this paper, we review the reaction mechanisms of different guest species (metal atoms/ions, organic molecules/ions, inorganic molecules and inorganic ions) intercalated into the host layered materials as well as the recent progress. It is also reviewed that layered intercalated materials with controllable structure and tunable physicochemical properties can be prepared through the occurrence of interactions between different subjects and guests. The specific applications of intercalation chemistry in the field of electrocatalysis, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction and other electrocatalytic reactions, are then discussed, with emphasis on the mechanism of the improved catalytic activity and stability of the layered materials after guest intercalation.