Spin-polarized Acidic Water Electrolysis with Antenna-Reactor Plasmonic Electrocatalysts.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40567053.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1002/adma.202507658 and PMC identifier 12506622.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Water electrolysis, driven by renewable electricity, offers a sustainable path for hydrogen production. However, efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts are needed to overcome the high overpotentials of both the oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction. To address this, a novel catalyst system is developed integrating plasmonic nanoreactors with chirality-induced spin selectivity. In this system, chiral Au nanoparticles act as antennae, while single-atom iridium serves as the catalytic reactor, achieving a 3.5 fold increase in reaction kinetics (at 1.57 V vs RHE) compared to commercial IrO<sub>2</sub> catalysts and enhancing durability by over 4.8 times relative to conventional Pt/C || IrO<sub>2</sub> systems. Density functional theory and operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveal that plasmon-driven spin alignment polarizes the Ir atom, significantly enhancing stability (>480 h at 100 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>) under acidic conditions. This work represents a major advance in spin polarization for plasmonic electrocatalysis, offering a new route to sustainable energy solutions.