Magnetoelectric effect in hydrogen harvesting: magnetic field as a trigger of catalytic reactions

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that magnetic fields can directly trigger hydrogen evolution reactions using magnetoelectric nanocatalysts, opening new pathways for renewable energy harvesting.

Contribution

It introduces the use of multiferroic magnetoelectric materials as catalysts activated solely by magnetic fields for hydrogen production.

Findings

Magnetic fields can induce hydrogen evolution in magnetoelectric nanocatalysts.

Density functional calculations suggest polarization changes drive the reaction.

Magnetoelectric coupling enables magnetic control of catalytic activity.

Abstract

Magnetic fields have been regarded as an additional stimulus for electro- and photocatalytic reactions, but not as a direct trigger for catalytic processes. Multiferroic/magnetoelectric materials, whose electrical polarization and surface charges can be magnetically altered, are especially suitable for triggering and control of catalytic reactions solely with magnetic fields. Here, we demonstrate that magnetic fields can be employed as an independent input energy source for hydrogen harvesting by means of the magnetoelectric effect. Composite multiferroic CoFe2O4-BiFeO3 core-shell nanoparticles act as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) that is triggered when an alternating magnetic field is applied to an aqueous dispersion of the magnetoelectric nanocatalysts. Based on density functional calculations, we propose that the hydrogen evolution is driven by changes in the ferroelectric polarization direction of BiFeO3 caused by the magnetoelectric coupling. We believe our findings will open new avenues towards magnetically induced renewable energy harvesting.