Spin Controlled Water Electrolysis for Efficient Production of Hydrogen (No. T4-1753)
Lead Researcher: Ron Naaman
A team of researchers lead by Prof. Naaman have been investigating the CISS effect in different systems. They found that the high efficiency of many natural multiple electron reactions can also be attributed to spin alignment of the electrons involved.The present innovation looks at hydrogen production through water electrolysis, showing that when using anodes coated by chiral molecules the efficiency of the electrolysis process increases by 30% compared to using uncoated, regular electrodes.
- Photo-electrochemical and electrochemical hydrogen production
- Spin-selective electrodes for other spin-sensitive processes
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- Control of electron spin
- Significant reduction of over-potential in spin sensitive electrochemical reactions
- Efficient electrochemical processes
- Minimum side reactions
This innovative chiral-induced spin-selective electrode provides the following advantages through the control of electron spin:
- Energy efficiency due to a significant reduction in over-potential
- Minimal side reactions (such as the formation of hydrogen peroxide)
- Cost-effective water hydrolysis systems producing hydrogen
- Advanced spin selective electrodes for spin-sensitive processes
Spin selective electrodes made from standard electrode material are coated with chiral molecules. These coated electrodes were used for electrolysis of water and showed superior efficacy compared to standard un-coated electrodes, by reduction of the over-potential required for the process. This is explained by the spin selective electron conduction through the chiral layer: Hydrogen production as a function of time for (A) the chiral molecules and (B) for the achiral molecules. The potentials in the brackets refer to the over-potential compared to DNA coated electrode. The measurements were conducted at the Eapp for each of the molecules.
