Electronic distribution and dynamics as catalytic descriptors in heterogeneous catalysis: A mini review

We report the recent advances in heterogeneous catalysis with emphasis on electron configurations as driving forces of the catalytic reactions. Several descriptors, including size, shape, surface area, oxygen vacancies, hydrogen spill-over, and porosity have been extensively reported. Whereas most catalysis researchers avoid studying the effect of electronic property due to the difficulty in elucidating its effects in heterogeneously catalyzed reactions. Although this topic is extensively explored in homogeneous systems, there is no unifying paradigm for heterogeneous systems. We focus on the progress made and draw the reader's attention to the possibility that electron manipulation could be used to improve catalysis. [Display omitted] •This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the role of surface electronic properties in heterogeneous catalysis.•The strain effect alters surface electronic structure and catalytic trends in metal oxides.•Oxygen vacancies and metal-support interactions modulate electronic structure and reactivity.•Combining computational modeling and experiments will further advance knowledge of electronics in catalysis.•Challenges remain in developing robust computational models and fully elucidating electronics-activity relationships.