The Readiness of Water Molecules to Split into Hydrogen + Oxygen A Proposed New Aspect of Water Splitting

The Readiness of Water Molecules to Split into Hydrogen + Oxygen : A Proposed New Aspect of Water Splitting

© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.). - 1998. - 35(2023), 30 vom: 03. Juli, Seite e2300099
1. Verfasser: Schäfer, Helmut (VerfasserIn)
Weitere Verfasser: Schuster, Anja, Kunis, Stefan, Bookholt, Tom, Hardege, Jörg, Rüwe, Klara, Brune, Julia
Format: Online-Aufsatz
Sprache:English
Veröffentlicht: 2023
Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk:Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
Schlagworte:Journal Article electrocatalysis heterogeneous catalysis renewable energy water electrolysis
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:© 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
The potential of the anode, at which the evolution of oxygen begins, is a key parameter that describes how well water is split in water electrolyzers. Research efforts related to electrocatalytically initiated water splitting that aim at reducing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential to date focus on the optimization of materials used to produce the electrodes. Descriptors for the readiness of the H2 O molecule itself to break down into its components have not been considered in water electrolysis experiments so far. In a simple set of experiments, it is found that adding dioxane to aqueous solutions leads to a substantial blueshift of the frequency of the OH stretch vibration which is a sign of an increased strength of the OH bond (intramolecular bonding). This phenomenon coincides with a significant increase in the OER onset potential as derived from cyclic voltammetry experiments. Thus, the OH stretch frequency can be an ideal indicator for the readiness of water molecules to be split in its cleavage products. This is thought to be first example of a study into the relationship between structural features of water as derived from Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies and key results derived from water electrolysis experiments
Beschreibung:Date Revised 27.07.2023
published: Print-Electronic
Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE
ISSN:1521-4095
DOI:10.1002/adma.202300099