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Direct magnetic enhancement of electrocatalytic water oxidation in alkaline media

Garces-Pineda, Felipe A.; Blasco-Ahicart, Marta; Nieto-Castro, David; Lopez, Ntiria; Ramon Galan-Mascaros, Jose

NATURE ENERGY
2019
VL / 4 - BP / 519 - EP / 525
abstract
Industrially profitable water splitting is one of the great challenges in the development of a viable and sustainable hydrogen economy. Alkaline electrolysers using Earth-abundant catalysts remain the most economically viable route to electrolytic hydrogen, but improved efficiency is desirable. Recently, electron spin polarization was described as a potential way to improve water-splitting catalysis. Here, we report the significant enhancement of alkaline water electrolysis when a moderate magnetic field (<= 450 mT) is applied to the anode. Current density increments above 100% (over 100 mA cm(-2)) were found for highly magnetic electrocatalysts, such as the mixed oxide NiZnFe4Ox. Magnetic enhancement works even for decorated Ni-foam electrodes with very high current densities, improving their intrinsic activity by about 40% to reach over 1 A cm(-2) at low overpotentials. Thanks to its simplicity, our discovery opens opportunities for implementing magnetic enhancement in water splitting.

AccesS level

Green accepted

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