On-water electrochemistry: redox catalysis at the water surface

从塑料到药品，化学家广泛依赖昂贵且对环境有害的溶剂和反应物。在水中，更环保、更便宜的电驱动反应目前面临着速度低、选择性差的问题。该项目旨在发展水中电化学科学，使水中电力驱动的有机反应可行。证明了电化学反应的速率和选择性是在水的表面而不是在水的表面上增加的，这将消除水电合成可行性的基本限制——超越目前的反应器设计，改变我们对电化学的看法，提高化学工业的可持续性。

From plastics to pharamaceuticals, chemists rely extensively on expensive and environmentally damaging solvents and reactants. In water, greener and cheaper electricity-driven reactions currently suffer from low velocity and poor selectivity. The project aims to develop the science of on-water electrochemistry, to make electricity-driven organic reactions in water viable. Demonstrating that for electrochemical reactions, rates and selectivities increase on water’s surface rather than in its bulk will remove fundamental constraints on the viability of aqueous electro-synthesis – moving beyond current reactor designs to transform our view of electrochemistry and improve the sustainability of the chemical industry.