Recent advances in three-dimensional graphene based materials for catalysis applications

Over the past few decades, two-dimensional graphene based materials (2DGMs) have piqued the interest of scientists worldwide, and the exploration of their potential applications in catalysis, sensors, electronic devices and energy storage due to their extraordinary physical and chemical properties has rapidly progressed. As for these 2DGMs, there is a complementary need to assemble 2D building blocks hierarchically into more complicated and hierarchical three-dimensional graphene-based materials (3DGMs). Such a capability is vitally crucial in order to design sophisticated and multi-functional catalysts with tailorable properties. This comprehensive review describes some important recent advances with respect to 3DGMs, including their preparation methods, characterization and applications in catalysis, e.g., photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, organic catalysis, and CO oxidation. The importance of the relationship between the structure and catalytic performance, a topic which has become a central focus of research in order to develop high-performance catalytic systems, is discussed. Likely future developments and their associated challenges are proposed and discussed.