Emerging electrocatalytic activities in transition metal selenides: synthesis, electronic modulation, and structure-performance correlations

Engineering high-performance, stable, and scalable electrocatalysts that can meet clean energy demands and solve environmental problems are urgently needed. Despite having been developed only recently, transition metal selenides (TMSes) have emerged as rapidly growing electrocatalysts due to their tunable bandgap, atom environments, and electronic structures, as well as multiphase structures with different conductivities. On ac-count of the lack of guiding reviews, this progress report summarizes the synthetic methods, modulation stra-tegies, structure-performance correlations, and the corresponding emerging electrocatalytic activities of TMSes. First, we focus on discussing the state-of-the-art synthetic strategies and techniques in engineering nano -structured and electrocatalytic TMSes. Particularly, we give detailed pathways for tuning their catalytic atoms and bond microenvironments, including phase modulation, construction of heterojunction, defect engineering, and element doping. Furthermore, the representative electrocatalytic applications and breakthroughs of struc-tured TMSes for efficient and eco-friendly energy conversion technologies have been briefly discussed, such as water splitting, O-2 reduction, CO2 reduction, and N2 reduction. Overall, this cutting-edge and comprehensive review will offer multidisciplinary guidance on discussing the experimental and theoretical progress of TMSes and unveiling the current critical challenges for their future developments in electrocatalytic energy conversion systems.

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of the recent developments in synthesis methods, modulation strategies, and structure-performance correlations of transition metal selenides (TMSes). It focuses on the engineering of nanostructured TMSes for electrocatalytic applications and discusses the breakthroughs in efficient and eco-friendly energy conversion technologies.