Carbon Aerogels as Electrocatalysts for Sustainable Energy Applications: Recent Developments and Prospects

Minna Zhang; Xiaoxu Xuan; Xibin Yi; Jinqiang Sun; Mengjie Wang; Yihao Nie; Jing Zhang; Xun Sun

doi:10.3390/nano12152721

Carbon Aerogels as Electrocatalysts for Sustainable Energy Applications: Recent Developments and Prospects

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Aug 8;12(15):2721. doi: 10.3390/nano12152721.

Authors

Minna Zhang¹, Xiaoxu Xuan², Xibin Yi¹, Jinqiang Sun¹, Mengjie Wang², Yihao Nie¹, Jing Zhang¹, Xun Sun²

Affiliations

¹ Shandong Key Laboratory for Special Silicon-Containing Material, Advanced Materials Institute, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China.
² Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture, Ministry of Education, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China.

Abstract

Carbon aerogel (CA) based materials have multiple advantages, including high porosity, tunable molecular structures, and environmental compatibility. Increasing interest, which has focused on CAs as electrocatalysts for sustainable applications including oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) has recently been raised. However, a systematic review covering the most recent progress to boost CA-based electrocatalysts for ORR/OER/HER/CO₂RR is now absent. To eliminate the gap, this critical review provides a timely and comprehensive summarization of the applications, synthesis methods, and principles. Furthermore, prospects for emerging synthesis, screening, and construction methods are outlined.

Keywords: carbon aerogels; electrocatalysis; sustainable energy applications.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

Grants and funding