Electrochemical Activation of Catalysed Reactions

Abstract

The catalytic activity and selectivity of metals can be altered dramatically and reversibly by interfacing the metal with a solid electrolyte such as Y2O3-doped-ZrO2, an O2- conductor, or β“-Al2O3, a Na+ conductor, and by supplying or removing ions to or from the metal catalyst surface via application of an external voltage. The induced change in catalytic rate can be up to 3 ×05 times higher than the rate of ion supply and up to 70 times higher than the catalytic rate when no voltage is applied. This new effect of Non-Faradaic Electrochemical Modification of Catalytic Activity (NEMCA) appears not to be limited to any particular type of metal or solid electrolyte and has revealed a surprisingly simple exponential relationship between catalytic rates and catalyst work function. The latter can be varied in situ by varying the catalyst potential. This interfacing of catalysis and electrochemistry appears to offer some exciting theoretical and technological possibilities.