The surface and interfaces of heterogeneous
catalysts are essential
to their performance as they are often considered to be active sites
for catalytic reactions. With the development of nanoscience, the
ability to tune surface and interface of nanostructures has provided
a versatile tool for the development and optimization of a heterogeneous
catalyst. In this Review, we present the surface and interface control
of nanoparticle catalysts in the context of oxygen reduction reaction
(ORR), electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR), and tandem catalysis in three sections. In the first section,
we start with the activity of ORR on the nanoscale surface and then
focus on the approaches to optimize the performance of Pt-based catalyst
including using alloying, core–shell structure, and high surface
area open structures. In the section of CO2 RR, where the
surface composition of the catalysts plays a dominant role, we cover
its reaction fundamentals and the performance of different nanosized
metal catalysts. For tandem catalysis, where adjacent catalytic interfaces
in a single nanostructure catalyze sequential reactions, we describe
its concept and principle, catalyst synthesis methodology, and application
in different reactions.