Intrinsic Chirality Boosting Water Splitting Efficiency
Key Ideas
  • Topological semimetals with intrinsic chirality show high efficiency in water splitting, surpassing nanostructured catalysts like RuO2.
  • Rh-based chiral crystals exhibit enhanced OER activity proportional to spin polarization and SOC, establishing a design principle for high-performance catalysts.
  • Experimentation confirms the relationship between spin-amplified OER and SOC, showcasing the potential for spin-boosted OER catalysis.
  • Single crystals RhSi, RhSn, and RhBiS with structurally chiral lattice and chiral-induced topological Fermi surface hold promise for efficient water splitting.
The article discusses the use of topological semimetals with intrinsic chirality as efficient catalysts for water splitting, particularly addressing the challenges of the sluggish kinetics of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in hydrogen production. By introducing Rh-based topological single crystals like RhSi, RhSn, and RhBiS, the study reveals a significant enhancement in OER activity compared to conventional catalysts such as RuO2. These chiral crystals demonstrate high efficiency in water splitting, with the RhBiS crystal exhibiting remarkable overpotential reduction and specific activity surpassing that of RuO2 by more than two orders of magnitude. The research establishes a direct correlation between spin-amplified OER and spin-orbit coupling (SOC), providing a foundation for designing high-performance intrinsic chiral OER catalysts. Moreover, the structurally chiral lattice of Rh-based crystals induces a monopole-like spin texture at the Fermi surface, contributing to spin polarization and improved OER performance. The experimental findings offer insights into the role of SOC in spin-boosted OER catalysis and present a promising avenue for developing efficient water splitting technologies using chiral-induced catalysts.
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