Understanding Catalytic Activity Trends in the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Despite the dedicated search for novel catalysts for fuel cell applications, the intrinsic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of materials has not improved significantly over the past decade. Here, we review the role of theory in understanding the ORR mechanism and highlight the descriptor-bas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical reviews 2018-03, Vol.118 (5), p.2302-2312
Main Authors: Kulkarni, Ambarish, Siahrostami, Samira, Patel, Anjli, Nørskov, Jens K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Catalysis
Catalysts
Catalytic activity
Chemical reactions
Fuel cells
Fuel technology
Materials
MATERIALS SCIENCE
Oxygen
Oxygen reduction reactions
Reaction intermediates
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Summary:Despite the dedicated search for novel catalysts for fuel cell applications, the intrinsic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of materials has not improved significantly over the past decade. Here, we review the role of theory in understanding the ORR mechanism and highlight the descriptor-based approaches that have been used to identify catalysts with increased activity. Specifically, by showing that the performance of the commonly studied materials (e.g., metals, alloys, carbons, etc.) is limited by unfavorable scaling relationships (for binding energies of reaction intermediates), we present a number of alternative strategies that may lead to the design and discovery of more promising materials for ORR.
ISSN:0009-2665
1520-6890
DOI:10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00488