Experimental evidences of the direct influence of external magnetic fields on the mechanism of the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction

The use of magnetic fields as external stimuli to improve the kinetics of electrochemical reactions is attracting substantial attention, given their potential to reduce energy losses. Despite recent reports showing a positive effect on catalytic performance upon applying a magnetic field to a working electrode, there are still many uncertainties and a lack of experimental evidence correlating the presence of the magnetic field to the electrocatalytic performance. Here, we present a combination of electrochemical and spectroscopic tools that demonstrate how the presence of an external magnetic field alters the reaction mechanism of the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), accelerating the overall performance of a Ni4FeOx electrode. Complementary experimental evidence has been gathered supporting the participation of this microscopic magnetic field effect. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) points to a speed-up of the intrinsic reaction kinetics, independent of other indirect effects. In the same direction, the spectro-electrochemical fingerprint of the intermediate species that appear during the electrocatalytic cycle, as detected under operando conditions, indicates a change in the order of the reaction as a function of hole accumulation. All these experimental data confirm the direct influence of an external magnetic field on the reaction mechanism at the origin of the magnetically enhanced electrocatalytic OER.