Polarization boosted catalysis: progress and outlook

Polarization has a significant impact on chemical reactions, as demonstrated by recent research of photo/electrocatalytic water splitting, electrocatalytic CO2 reduction, water treatment, dye degradation and so on. This review summarizes the fundamental influence of polarization on the physical/chemical properties of catalysts and discusses polarization-dependent catalytic processes. Based on the research progress of polarization-modulated chemical reactions, we draw the conclusion that the control of polarization can be used to adjust the reactivity and selectivity of various catalytic reactions by tuning the miscellaneous fundamental properties of polarized catalysts. At the end of the review, the future research challenges are also discussed, including the ultrafast reversal of polarization, the magnetic-field control of chemical reactions through the magnetoelectric effect and in-plane polarization.