Non-siliceous ordered mesoporous materials via nanocasting for small molecule conversion electrocatalysis

Abstract

Since the pioneering work of Ryoo and co-workers in 1999 on the synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbons via nanocasting, the nanocasting pathway has endured the test of time and has established itself as a robust and versatile method for preparing ordered mesoporous materials (OMMs). This method enables the generation of a remarkably wide range of non-siliceous OMMs, some of which are otherwise inaccessible. In this account, we present our decade-long efforts toward the function-oriented design of non-siliceous OMM-based electrocatalysts for promoting small molecule conversion reactions relevant to renewable energy conversion and commodity chemical production, including hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and selective oxygen reduction reaction. We also discuss the extension of the nanocasting concept to a silica-coating-mediated synthesis for preparing new catalytic materials. We conclude the account by suggesting the remaining challenges and outlook for the future development of advanced OMMs.