Carbon Nanotubes as Multifunctional Supports for Phthalocyanine-Based Electrocatalysts: Advancing Sustainable Energy Conversion and Environmental Applications

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) serve as exceptional multifunctional supports for metal phthalocyanine (MPc)-based electrocatalysts, effectively addressing the inherent limitations of molecular catalysts such as poor conductivity and aggregation. This review systematically summarizes the recent advances in engineering the interface between MPcs and CNTs to optimize performance in sustainable energy conversion and environmental remediation. We categorize the engineering strategies into three synergistic dimensions: (1) dispersion and modification engineering, introducing the most direct physical anchoring dispersion strategy via non-covalent interactions and targeted modifications to yield highly active catalysts; (2) chemical bonding engineering, in which robust axial coordination or covalent grafting creates stable, well-defined active sites and prevents leaching; and (3) geometric and spatial engineering, which exploits CNTs’ unique curvature, atomic defects, inner cavities and one-dimensional architecture to induce strain, symmetry breaking, and nanoconfinement, thereby steering reaction pathways or to construct conductive nanocomposites. These strategies highlight that CNTs are not merely passive scaffolds but active regulators that geometrically and electronically modulate MPcs. By balancing molecular dispersion, charge transfer, and mass transport, CNT-supported MPcs exhibit superior activity, selectivity, and stability for critical electrochemical reactions, including the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR), and nitrate reduction reaction (NO₃RR), demonstrating substantial potential for advancing sustainable energy technologies and environmental applications.