Boosting the oxygen reduction activity on metal surfaces by fine-tuning interfacial water with midinfrared stimulation.

ABSTRACT: Heterogeneous catalysis at the metal surface generally involves the transport of molecules through the interfacial water layer to access the surface, which is a rate-determining step at the nanoscale. In this study, taking the oxygen reduction reaction on a metal electrode in aqueous solution as an example, using accurate molecular dynamic simulations, we propose a novel long-range regulation strategy in which midinfrared stimulation (MIRS) with a frequency of approximately 1,000 cm^-1 is applied to nonthermally induce the structural transition of interfacial water from an ordered to disordered state, facilitating the access of oxygen molecules to metal surfaces at room temperature and increasing the oxygen reduction activity 50-fold. Impressively, the theoretical prediction is c

SUBMITTER: Zhang Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11764022 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature