Electrochemical acid–base reactions can be fine tuned to control reactivity

Two new ways to control and optimise electrochemical reactions at electrified interfaces have been discovered. These insights could help to design new catalysts for battery technology and hydrogen production, crucial for the green transition.

Electrolysis involves passing an electric current through a substance to induce chemical reactions, a particularly important process for green hydrogen production and battery technology. However, there is limited understanding of acid base chemistry at the metal/water interfaces where key steps of electrocatalysis takes place. Although it is theorised that acid–base chemistry at the electrochemical interface differs from that in bulk, the relationship between these effects, as well as assessing a key metric – the acid dissociation constant (pK_a) values – quantitatively has been difficult.