Electrocatalysis is a key part of renewable energy conversion in the future energy system. Sustainable energy conversion and chemical production require catalyst structure with high activity, durability, and product selectivity. In general, nanoscale electrocatalysts suffer various degradation phenomena during electrocatalysis, which leads to critical performance loss. Recently, the various hybrid nanostructures (such as ordered structure, metal/carbon encapsulation, or metal/metal oxide) have been highly investigated to achieve promising catalytic performances and enhanced stabilities.

In this presentation, we will cover three different types of nanomaterials as highly active and stable electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). First, the alloy nanoparticles with ordered structures exhibit novel catalytic properties from their unique electronic and geometric structures. In particular, Pt alloys with atomically ordered crystal structures have been found to largely improve both electrocatalytic activity and stability for ORR through increased electronic interaction between Pt and other transition metals. Similarly, we recently demonstrated that well-controlled Co-, Mn- and Fe-based ternary or binary oxide nanocatalysts have an exceptionally high ORR activity, in addition to the promising electrocatalytic stability. Therefore, it is very important to synthesize well-ordered alloy nanocrystals to obtain highly durable and active electrocatalysts with respect to their structural and compositional properties. Second, we will show the strategic employment of carbon shells on electrocatalyst surfaces to enhance stability in the electrochemical process. Carbon shells can beneficially shield catalyst surfaces from electrochemical degradation and physical agglomeration. Thus carbon shells can effectively preserve the initial active site structure during electrocatalysis. The carbon shell also provides a confined environment at interfaces, enabling unconventional electrochemical behaviors. Finally, we will suggest an effective strategy to construct metal/oxide interfaces, precisely modulating the metal/oxide interfacial interactions in the nanoscale. By controlling the interface and strain effect on catalytic activity, we can achieve high active and stable metal oxide systems for ORR. We would like to describe the details of the above results, for investigating structure-activity relationships in electrocatalytic processes. Only when we start to comprehend the fundamentals behind electrocatalysis on the structure and interface of metal/metal oxide nanocrystals, they can be further advanced to be sustainable in long-term device operation.