NSF-DFG Echem: Spin-polarized electron currents for spin-selective electrocatalysis

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This research program will explore and develop chiral materials for the use of spin-polarized electrons to improve the chemical selectivity and energy efficiency in electrocatalysis. Chiral molecules and chiral materials preferentially transmit spin polarized electrons, where the electron transfer rates and their polarization direction depend on the material’s enantiomeric form. The proposed research will examine new chiral metal oxide electrode material for generating spin polarized elec-trons and evaluate their efficacy as electrocatalysts, as has been shown by us in preliminary work to occur for chiral CuO. We will use the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as a versatile indicator for spin selective electrochemistry because of the competition between the production of ground state triplet oxygen and singlet by-products like hydrogen peroxide and singlet oxygen. Chiral first-row d-metal oxides will be grown through liquid phase electrodeposition of chiral organometallic precursors. Pure metal oxides and composites will be evaluated. In a second line of research it is hypothe-sized that superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles will become an even better electrocatalyst when supported by a chiral matrix. Finally, chiral metamaterials will be employed to make use of enhanced (chiral) plasmon absorption for the generation of spin polarized photocarriers. Embed-ded in active metal oxide nanoparticles or films their electrocatalytic activity will be evaluated. In this collaborative effort the oxygen evolution reaction and thus the catalytic activity is studied in Pittsburgh, while in Münster the spin polarization of electrons emitted from the chiral materials is determined. Both groups contribute with various techniques to the growth of different chiral metal oxide materials and to their characterization.