Synthesis and electrocatalytic performance of ultrathin noble metal nanosheets

Noble metal nanomaterials are widely used in various fields such as catalysis, fuel cells, and biomedical applications due to their high catalytic activity, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. The performance of noble metals strongly depends on their microstructure. Due to their scarcity and high cost, reasonably designing the morphology and structure of precious metal nanomaterials is the key to improving their performance and reducing their usage. In recent years, the unique properties of non-metallic two-dimensional materials such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have led to an increasing research focus on two-dimensional metallic materials, especially ultrathin precious metals with thicknesses of only a few atomic layers. This research has provided new ideas for the design of precious metal materials. A significant amount of research has shown that the high proportion of surface atoms in ultrathin two-dimensional precious metal nanostructures leads to physical and chemical properties that are extremely sensitive to their medium environment. This has sparked interest in investigating the relationship between the structure of noble metals and their properties, including their behavior under light irradiation and their electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. This article summarizes the research progress in the synthesis, structural characterization, and catalytic performance of ultrathin two-dimensional noble metal sheet nanostructures reported in the past decade. The main content of this review includes: (1) the characteristics of ultrathin two-dimensional nanostructures and some typical two-dimensional nanomaterials; (2) key factors and synthesis strategies for the control of typical ultrathin precious metal two-dimensional nanostructures; (3) catalytic performance of ultrathin two-dimensional precious metal nanomaterials; (4) the development and challenges of ultrathin two-dimensional precious metal materials.