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Defect engineering of electrocatalysts for organic synthesis

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Abstract

Electrocatalytic organic synthesis has attracted considerable research attention because it is an efficient and eco-friendly strategy for converting energy sources to value-added chemicals. Defect engineering is a promising strategy for regulating the electronic structure and charge density of electrocatalysts. It endows electrocatalysts with excellent physical and physicochemical properties and optimizes the adsorption energy of the reaction intermediates to reduce the kinetic barriers of the electrosynthesis reaction. Herein, the recent advances related to the use of electrocatalysts for organic synthesis with respect to defects are systematically reviewed. The roles of defects in anodic and cathodic reactions, such as the syntheses of alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, aldehydes, amides, and carboxylic acids, are reviewed. Furthermore, the relationship between the defective structure and electrocatalytic activity is discussed by combining experimental results and theoretical calculations. Finally, the challenges, opportunities, and development prospects of defective electrocatalysts are examined to promote the development of the field of electrocatalytic organic synthesis. This review is expected to help understand the vital role of defects in catalytic processes and the controllable synthesis of efficient electrocatalysts for the production of high-value chemicals.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2020YFA0710000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22122901 and 21902047), the Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Hunan (Nos. 2020JJ5045, 2021JJ20024, and 2021RC3054), and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (No. JCYJ20210324140610028).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Chemo/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Advanced Catalytic Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

    Yuxuan Lu, Ling Zhou, Shuangyin Wang & Yuqin Zou

  2. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jishou University, Jishou, 416000, China

    Yuqin Zou

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  1. Yuxuan Lu
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  2. Ling Zhou
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Correspondence to Yuqin Zou.

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Lu, Y., Zhou, L., Wang, S. et al. Defect engineering of electrocatalysts for organic synthesis. Nano Res. 16, 1890–1912 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4858-5

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