Low-temperature plasma technology for electrocatalysis

Electrochemical reactions were widely used in energy storage and conversion devices. The development of low-cost, highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst is essential to a large-scale application of energy storage and conversion devices. Recently, emerging plasma technology has been employed as one of the practical ways to synthesize and modify electrocatalysts due to its unique property. In this review, we summarized the latest applications of plasma in energy storage and conversion, including using it as the preparation and modification technology of the various electrocatalysts and the usage of it as the synthesis technology directly. Firstly, we presented the definition and types of plasma reactors and their respective characteristics. Then, these applications of plasma technology in many essential electrode reactions including carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), nitrogen fixation, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) were introduced. Finally, the challenges and outlook of plasma technology in energy storage and conversion were summarized, and the solutions and prospected its development in the future were present. Through reviewing the related aspects, readers can have a deeper understanding of the application prospects of plasma in electrocatalysis. (C) 2019 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.