Progress, Mechanisms and Applications of Liquid-Metal Catalyst Systems

Among the significant growths of liquid metal (LM) research achieved over the past few years, the field of LM as catalysts offers promising opportunities for material scientists to exploit, and thus, burgeoning progress has been made. This article presents an overview of recent progress in developing LM catalysis, which spans from liquid-phase catalysts, photocatalysts, heterogeneous catalysts, and bimetallic catalysts, to catalysts based on liquid-metal/metal-oxide (LM/MO) frameworks. The different types, preparation methods, and typical applications of LM catalysts are classified and reviewed. Typical catalytic applications of LM systems discussed include the growth of graphene films/nanoribbons/carbon nanotube, photocatalytic degradation of CR or PFOA/splitting of H2O/reduction of CO2, and catalytic reactions like butane or acetylene dehydrogenation, methanol steam reforming, and reduction of potassium ferricyanide. The prospects, future trends, and challenges of LM catalysts are also mentioned.