Leveraging Dual-Atom Catalysts for Electrocatalysis Revitalization: Exploring the Structure-Performance Correlation

In light of the profound shift toward renewable fuels, dual-atom catalysts (DACs) are impressively prospected as auspicious catalysts for electrocatalysis revitalization, toward accomplishing environmental remediation and sustainable global energy security. Leveraging appealing attributes such as inspiring synergistic effect, additional adjacent adsorption sites, and ultrahigh atom utilization, DACs are endowed with unprecedented stability, activity, and selectivity in multifarious energy-related applications. By virtue of addressing time and technological prominence to review this ground-breaking atomic electrocatalyst, this review first encompasses a correlation elucidation between the substrate, dual-atoms, and facile synthetic approaches with intriguing modification strategies. Furthermore, the state-of-the-art characterization techniques specially employed for DACs are spotlighted, alongside rigorously unveiling the novel mechanistic insights' milestone gained from both theoretical modeling and experimental research in multitudes of environmentally benign electrocatalytic applications, including O2 reduction, CO2 reduction, H2 evolution, O2 evolution, N2 reduction, and other fundamental reactions. As a final note, this review presents a brief conclusion highlighting current challenges and outlining prospects for this frontier. Importantly, this review deciphers the structure-performance correlation while excavating the advancement gained in DACs, thus is anticipated to shed light for the catalysis community on bolstering an intense evolution of DACs while triggering sapient inspiration for more robust next-generation catalysts. The central "golden" water droplet symbolizes the transformative impact of dual-atom catalysts (DACs) in electrocatalysis. This review unravels the intricate correlation between substrate selection, dual atoms, and sophisticated fabrication techniques for DACs. The review delves into state-of-the-art characterization methods, and shines a spotlight on DACs theoretical and experimental renaissance across diversified electrocatalytic applications. image