Metal exsolution engineering on perovskites for electrocatalysis: a perspective

Exsolution, a result of in situ growing nanoparticles on the backbone materials via the migration of inner atoms to the surface, has been regarded as an effective strategy for synthesizing nanoparticle-decorating perovskite-based materials to tailor their catalytic activities. In this perspective, the exsolution principles on perovskites are first summarized and then the commonly used enhancement strategies for promoting metal exsolution are discussed. Subsequently, typical applications of the exsolved perovskite catalysts in representative energy-related devices, such as solid oxide electrolysis cells, fuel cells, water splitting cells, and metal-air batteries, are briefly reviewed. Finally, the current challenges on metal exsolution engineering on perovskites for electrocatalysis are critically analyzed. This perspective aims to offer some comprehensive insights into the exsolution engineering for perovskite catalysts in energy-related reactions and give some options toward exsolution-inspired customizable catalyst design in the future.