Phase Engineering That Potentially Enables Sustainable Energy, Conversion Processes Revealed

Atomic rearrangement is changing a material's chemical and physical properties, which may result in potential applications throughout disciplines, including in sustainable energy.

A Phys.org report said that with 20 years of focused attention on controlling the rearrangements, a process known as "phase engineering" may allow sustainable energy and conversion processes; Chinese researchers have summarized the work thus far, which includes how the field might progress. This research has a specific focus on electrocatalysts.

Such materials stimulate, enhance, or resolve the electrical and chemical reactions that convert energy into storable or functional. They frequently serve as an electrode or as electrode components.

According to Professor Xiaoxin Zou, the co-corresponding author from State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, phase engineering is an essential technique for designing effective electrocatalysts toward energy conversions, as it allows all catalytically active atoms to rearrange and form new lattices.

For Better Electrocatalysis

In the study published in the Nano Research journal, Professor Zou also explained that this offers a great opportunity to rationally manipulate atoms to discover attractive structural frameworks to attain better electrocatalysis.

In recent years, many researchers have summarized the nanomaterials' preparation with novel arrangements; this is the first systematic review toward rationalizing how such phases influence electrocatalytic activity.

The said different atomic arrangements are called "crystal phases." Changing the manner the atoms are arranged on the solid material's surface, or in its bulk, can change drastically what can be done by the material.

However, Zou noted that the surface is vitally an extension of the bulk and cannot independently exist. Therefore, their association is key to developing alluring and stable electrocatalysts.

Bulk Crystal Structures

He also explained that "the underlying logic of phase engineering lies in an intimate relationship between the surface's properties and the bulk of a catalyst.

He added that engineering such a catalyst's bulk phase directly influences the surface is a strong strategy for designing smart catalysts internally and externally.

The bulk's crystal structure determines the electronic construction of the material, its conductivity, and, largely, the surface layer's composition.

Different bulk crystal structures possess various traits and surface energies, resulting in diverse morphology, not to mention catalytically active areas.

Even for catalysts that experience substantial surface damage or reconstruction during the process of catalysis, said Zou, the initial crystal structure of the bulk strongly affects reconstitution and the final structure of the surface.

Crystal Phases

For the past two decades, a lot of researchers have investigated the association, exploring unconventional electrocatalytic phases and the manner of generating such transformations, a similar Nestia report said.

Driven by the demand for sustainable energy conversion processes like nitrogen fixation and reduction of carbon dioxide, researchers advanced characterization strategies and theories that underlie experimental work.

Zou explained that these things made it possible to accurately and specifically understand the impacts of crystal phases on electrocatalytic performance.

Therefore, it is time to summarize the research related to phase engineering that's helping to unravel phase-performance associations and refining forecasts in electrocatalysis studies.

The next thing Zou's team recommends is that researchers continue four main areas to advance crystal phase engineering for catalysis study further.

Related information about the crystal phase is shown on Engineering Physics by Sanjiv's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Nanotechnology in Science Times.