Recent Trends and Perspectives in Single-Entity Electrochemistry: A Review with Focus on a Water Splitting Reaction

Abstract

Electrochemical measurements involving single nanoparticles have attracted considerable research attention. In recent years, various studies have been conducted on single-entity electrochemistry (SEE) for the in-depth analyses of catalytic reactions. Although, several electrocatalysts have been developed for H₂ energy production, designing innovative electrocatalysts for this purpose remains a challenging task. Stochastic collision electrochemistry is gaining increased attention because it has led to new findings in the SEE field. Importantly, it facilitates establishing structure activity relationships for electrocatalysts by monitoring transient signals. This article reviews the recent achievements related to hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) using different electrocatalysts at the nanoscale level. In particular, it discusses the electrocatalytic activities of noble metal nanoparticles, including Ag, Au, Pt, and Pd nanoparticles, at the single-particle level. Because heterogeneity is a key factor affecting the catalytic activity of nanostructures, our work focuses on the influence of heterogeneities in catalytic materials on the OER and HER activities. These results may help to achieve a better understanding of the fundamental processes involved in the water splitting reaction.

Graphical Abstract

This comprehensive review explores the challenges and breakthroughs in electrochemical water splitting through single entity electrochemistry approach. Precisely, it examines how the nanomaterials influene the electrolysis process at single entity level using ultamicroelectrodes. Furthermore, this review elaborates the mechanism behind the catalytic reactions, fundamental evaluation parameters, advanced analytical tool and showcasing the intrinsic properties of some intelligent nanomaterials.

Keywords:

• Single-entity electrochemistry
• hydrogen evolution reaction
• oxygen evolution reaction
• catalysts analysis
• stochastic collision electrochemistry

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea, which is funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2021R1A2C4002069). This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2021R1A6A1A10039823).