Activation of small molecules such as CO2, N2 or organic substrates and their subsequent transformation into complex value-added chemicals by electrocatalysis, utilizing renewable energy sources under ambient conditions, has gained considerable interest in the last few years. However, activation of these chemically inert molecules is hindered by their intrinsically high activation energy barrier presupposing the development of tailored catalytic systems, often precluding selective transformation to the desired target products. Recent studies have shown that the utilization of concerted proton-electron transfer (CPET) mediators (med-H) may facilitate these challenging electrocatalytic reactions.
Keywords: CPET; Electrocatalysis; Mediator; Proton-coupled electron transfer.
Copyright 2024 Alessandro Walker, Victor Mougel. License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.