The development of high-performance electrocatalysts for energy conversion reactions is crucial for advancing global energy sustainability. The design of catalysts based on their electronic properties (e.g., work function) has gained significant attention recently. Although numerous reviews on electrocatalysis have been provided, no such reports on work function-guided electrocatalyst design are available. Herein, a comprehensive summary of the latest advancements in work function-guided electrocatalyst design for diverse electrochemical energy applications is provided. This includes the development of work function-based catalytic activity descriptors, and the design of both monolithic and heterostructural catalysts. The measurement of work function is first discussed and the applications of work function-based catalytic activity descriptors for various reactions are fully analyzed. Subsequently, the work function-regulated material-electrolyte interfacial electron transfer (IET) is employed for monolithic catalyst design, and methods for regulating the work function and optimizing the catalytic performance of catalysts are discussed. In addition, key strategies for tuning the work function-governed material-material IET in heterostructural catalyst design are examined. Finally, perspectives on work function determination, work function-based activity descriptors, and catalyst design are put forward to guide future research. This work paves the way to the work function-guided rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.

中文翻译：

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功函数引导的电催化剂设计

开发用于能量转换反应的高性能电催化剂对于促进全球能源可持续性至关重要。基于其电子特性（例如功函数）的催化剂设计最近引起了人们的广泛关注。尽管已经提供了大量关于电催化的评论，但还没有关于功函数引导的电催化剂设计的此类报告。本文全面总结了用于不同电化学能源应用的功函数引导电催化剂设计的最新进展。这包括基于功函数的催化活性描述符的开发，以及整体和异质结构催化剂的设计。首先讨论了功函数的测量，并充分分析了基于功函数的催化活性描述符在各种反应中的应用。随后，采用功函数调节的材料-电解质界面电子转移（IET）进行整体式催化剂设计，并讨论了调节功函数和优化催化剂催化性能的方法。此外，还研究了异质结构催化剂设计中调整功函数控制的材料-材料 IET 的关键策略。最后，提出了功函数确定、基于功函数的活性描述符和催化剂设计的观点，以指导未来的研究。这项工作为以功函数为指导的可持续能源应用高效电催化剂的合理设计铺平了道路。