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Influence of the molecular structure of metal-phthalocyanine on electrocatalytic reactions

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Abstract

The demand for new catalysts for renewable energy production has become crucial. As an alternative to metal catalysts for electrocatalysis to produce energy sources, metal-phthalocyanine (MPc) electrocatalysts have shown potential. Their physicochemical and electrochemical properties depend on the chemical structure of the MPc and the central metal atom. Recent reviews of MPcs focused on their electrochemical performance in specific catalytic reactions, such as oxygen reduction reaction and CO2 reduction reaction. However, understanding the structure of MPcs in depth is important, since their electrochemical catalytic activity is affected by structural modifications of MPcs. Therefore, this minireview focuses on how the molecular structure of MPcs affects electrochemical catalysis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Research Fund of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2021R1A3B1077184, NRF-2021R1F1A1064057 and NRF-2021R1A4A5032876).

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Jeong DS and Yang J wrote and revised the manuscript; Shin HS proposed the topic and revised the manuscript. All authors contributed to the general discussion.

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Correspondence to Hyeon Suk Shin or Jieun Yang.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Da Sol Jeong received her BSc degree from Pukyeong National University in 2016, and MSc degree from Pusan National University in 2018. She is now a PhD candidate at the Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Korea. She is currently working on the synthesis of 2D molecules and their applications for electrocatalysts.

Hyeon Suk Shin is a professor at the Department of Chemistry, UNIST, Korea. He received his PhD degree from Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in 2002. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK and subsequently as a research professor at POSTECH, he joined UNIST in 2008. His current research focuses on 2D materials, including graphene, h-BN, transition metal dichalcogenides, and their heterostructures, and their applications for electrocatalysts and (opto)electronic devices.

Jieun Yang is a professor at the Department of Chemistry and the Research Institute of Basic Sciences, Kyung Hee University. She received her PhD degree from the Interdisciplinary School of Green Energy, UNIST, in 2015. After working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge, UK, she joined Kyeong Hee University as a professor. Her current research focuses on transition metal dichalcogenides and their hybrids.

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Jeong, D.S., Shin, H.S. & Yang, J. Influence of the molecular structure of metal-phthalocyanine on electrocatalytic reactions. Sci. China Mater. 65, 3324–3333 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2131-1

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