Magnetically Boosted Water-Splitting Performance in Metallic Glasses

Developing high-performance non-precious metal electrocatalysts for hydrogen production is vital to combat the energy crisis. Metallic glasses (MGs), a promising class of novel materials, have emerged as a focal point in the search for efficient catalysts. However, the lack of long-range order in the amorphous structure of MGs poses significant challenges for precisely tuning their catalytic performance. Herein, we report a strategy to boost water electrolysis performance efficiency by using an ultralow magnetic field in soft-magnetic MG wires. Remarkably, a magnetic field of merely 100 Oe, two orders of magnitude lower than that required for crystalline catalysts (10000 Oe for CoFe₂O₄), can significantly enhance the OER activity of Fe-, Ni-, and Co-based MGs. Among them, Ni₄₀Fe₄₀P₂₀ metallic glass can achieve an unprecedented overall water-splitting performance with a cell voltage of 1.51 V @ 1000 mA cm^-2 by magnetic modulation, marking a significant breakthrough among all catalysts reported ever. Furthermore, we revealed that the mechanism of magnetic enhancement is associated with the spin polarization within the unique periodic magnetic domain structure on the circumferential surface of MG wires, which increases orbital hybridization and net spin density. This work provides a new route for designing and modulating the electrocatalytic properties in disordered materials.