Recent advances in noble metal-based nanocomposites for electrochemical reactions

Recent years of intense efforts have seen an increasing interest in heterogeneous nanocomposites, which usually exhibit enhanced catalytic properties due to the synergistic effect among their different domains. Among the heterogeneous nanocomposites, those consisting of noble metals and semiconductors are particularly attractive for catalyzing electrochemical reactions. We herein focus on introducing the latest developments in noble metal-based nanocomposites consisting of Pt/Pd and semiconductor/metal oxide. In this review, we emphasize the applications of noble metal-based nanocomposites as electrocatalysts for electrochemical reactions including methanol oxidation reaction, formic acid oxidation reaction, and oxygen reduction reaction. We would lie to briefly narrate the fundamentals/principles of the noble metal-based nanocomposites as catalysts for electrochemical reactions, and prefer to summarize the noble metal-based heterogeneous nanocomposites developed most recently via solution-based strategies, including their synthesis, characterization, and applications and perspectives in electrocatalysis so as to provide the readers insights in designing efficiently composite electrocatalysts for next stage. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.