Researchers from the Interface Science Department at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society conducted experiments using atomically defined model pre-catalysts to unveil intricate details of the electrocatalytic water splitting reaction, targeting the advancement of green H₂ production.

A team of researchers from the Department of Interface Science at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society addressed the question: what happens to a Ga-promoted Cu surface under reaction conditions required for the synthesis of methanol? They found complex structural transformations of this bimetallic catalyst that might change the common view on the catalytically active surface structure.

An important building block in achieving climate targets is to develop technologies that can produce synthetic fuels and chemical feedstocks from CO₂ using electricity from renewable sources. In the electrochemical conversion of CO₂, defect structures on catalyst surfaces are believed to have a significant impact on selectivity. Researchers at Kiel University (CAU) and the Department of Interface Science at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society have now shown that atomic rearrangements occur even in the early stages of the reaction.