Review of Metal Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction: From Nanoscale Engineering to Atomic Design

Platinum (Pt)-based catalysts have been unanimously considered the most efficient catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Unfortunately, the exorbitant cost of Pt hampers the widespread adoption and development of PEMFCs. Scientists have devoted tremendous efforts to achieving higher catalytic activity with less Pt usage by constructing delicate nanostructures. Substituting Pt with cheaper metals may be a feasible solution but suffers from a relatively low intrinsic activity. Recently, single-atom catalysts (SACs), which possess the highest metal utilization and excellent activity because of the minimum size of metal and unique coordination structure, are developing rapidly and have been regarded as a potential alternative to Pt-based materials. Here, we review the development of conventional Pt and nonprecious-metal-based ORR catalysts and summarize recent achievement in SACs for the ORR. A brief perspective on the remaining challenges and future directions of SACs is also presented.