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Spin effects in electrocatalysis: underlying mechanisms and reactivity regulation
Weijie Kong1, Hao Yang1, Liuhua Mu1
1School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China. muliuhua@nbu.edu.cn.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Electron spin control enhances electrocatalysis by optimizing catalyst electronic structures and reaction pathways. This review details spin-dependent mechanisms like super-exchange and spin-orbit coupling for improved sustainable energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Quantum Physics
Background:
- Electrocatalysis is crucial for sustainable energy but limited by kinetics and thermodynamics.
- Electron spin control offers a new paradigm to overcome these limitations.
- Catalyst properties and external fields can modulate electron spin.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review fundamental principles of spin-dependent processes in electrocatalysis.
- To elucidate mechanisms linking electron spin to enhanced catalytic activity.
- To provide future perspectives on spin-mediated electrocatalysis.
Main Methods:
- Review of fundamental principles of spin-dependent processes.
- Detailed discussion of three core mechanisms: electronic structure modulation, charge transport facilitation, and reaction pathway steering.
- Analysis of super-exchange, double-exchange, spin-orbit coupling, and chirality-induced spin selectivity.
Main Results:
- Spin control enhances electrocatalytic performance by regulating electronic structure, charge transport, and reaction pathways.
- Key mechanisms include super-exchange, double-exchange, spin-orbit coupling, and chirality-induced spin selectivity.
- Spin-mediated approaches offer tunable control over adsorption thermodynamics and reaction kinetics.
Conclusions:
- Electron spin plays a critical role in optimizing electrocatalytic efficiency.
- Understanding spin effects provides a pathway for designing advanced electrocatalysts.
- Spin-mediated electrocatalysis holds significant promise for future energy conversion technologies.
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