Chiral supramolecular polymer functionalized two-dimensional transition metal-based catalyst for enhancing the electrochemical water splitting via spin-polarized charge transfer

Abstract

Water-splitting is one of the potential avenues to store electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the form of fuel, though the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) limits its extensive application as it requires a high overpotential. The rationale behind designing efficient catalysts is mainly governed by the electronic and crystal structure of the catalyst. However, optimization of the spin-polarized charge transfer during electrolysis reveals the improvement of catalytic activity for the OER process by enhancing the faradaic efficiency and reducing the overpotential. Here, we report enhancing the electrocatalytic efficiency of the state-of-the-art Ni, Fe-based OER catalyst by controlling the spin-polarization during electrolysis. This spin-polarization is introduced using the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect by integrating the catalyst with perylene diimide (PDI)-based chiral supramolecular polymers. The improvement in the OER exhibits a decrease in the reaction overpotential and minimizes the byproduct production compared to the only catalyst and its analogous achiral modification. Therefore, this study represents a viable strategy for improving the catalytic activity of the top-performing catalysts employing chirality to introduce spin-alignment in the anode.