A review on CeO2-based electrocatalyst and photocatalyst in energy conversion

Abstract

The activation and conversion of small molecules (H2, O2, H2O, CO2, N2, CH3OH, and C2H5OH) in energy-related systems has attracted researchers’ attentions around the world. The conversion of these molecules plays a key role in renewable energy storage and conversion systems, and for that, the electrocatalysis and photocatalysis processes are considered as clean and efficient strategies. Numerous materials are designed to promote the conversion process to satisfy the different requirements for efficiency and selectivity. Due to the flexible switching between Ce3+ and Ce4+ with rich oxygen defects, CeO2-based materials display excellent performance in all the related reaction processes. Herein, the CeO2-based electro(photo)catalysts according to different reactions are summarized. Specifically, the influence of material compositions, morphologies, and structures on catalytic performance is discussed, and the significant role of CeO2 is emphasized. Finally, several approaches are advocated to promote the development of CeO2-based electro(photo)catalysis and accelerate their industrial application.