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Spin-related and non-spin-related effects of magnetic fields on water oxidation

Nature Energy volume 10, pages 435–447 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Water electrolysis is hindered by the slow kinetics and high overpotentials associated with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which takes place at the anode. Spin manipulation in the OER is a promising approach by which to modulate the reaction pathway to improve the energetics and kinetics. To that end, application of magnetic fields in the OER has been shown to enhance performance; however, whether the underlying promotional mechanisms are spin-related or non-spin-related remains a topic of ongoing debate. In this Review we explore OER enhancement under magnetic fields and elucidate both spin-related and non-spin-related effects, examining key fundamentals and experimental practices to distinguish these effects. For spin-related mechanisms, we highlight the key effects of spins on the catalyst bulk, catalytic interface and reaction intermediate. We provide guidance for understanding whether enhancements are spin-related or not.

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Fig. 1: Non-spin-related effects generated in the electrochemical reaction under magnetic fields.
Fig. 2: Recommended experimental set-up for OER measurement under a magnetic field.
Fig. 3: Effects specific to bulk, interfacial and intermediate spins.
Fig. 4: Long-range spin ordering for OER enhancement under magnetic fields.
Fig. 5: Interfacial spin interactions that affect the surface magnetization.
Fig. 6: Illustration of intermediate spin configuration.
Fig. 7: Key factors for spin-related OER enhancement.
Fig. 8: Overview and outlook for the OER under magnetic fields.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) MTC Individual Research Grants (IRG) M22K2c0078.

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  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Anke Yu, Yuwei Zhang, Siyuan Zhu, Tianze Wu & Zhichuan J. Xu

  2. The Centre of Advanced Catalysis Science and Technology, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Zhichuan J. Xu

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Z.J.X. and T.W. conceived the original idea. A.Y. and T.W. conducted the data collection and data analysis. Y.Z., A.Y. and T.W. designed and prepared all figures. A.Y., T.W. and Z.J.X. wrote the manuscript. S.Z. assisted with editing the language.

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Correspondence to Tianze Wu or Zhichuan J. Xu.

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Yu, A., Zhang, Y., Zhu, S. et al. Spin-related and non-spin-related effects of magnetic fields on water oxidation. Nat Energy 10, 435–447 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-025-01744-6

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