Spin Catalysis

Our research addresses climate change mitigation and reducing fossil fuel-related health risks through renewable energy-driven photo/electrocatalysis. These systems enable dual-purpose conversion: producing green hydrogen while transforming greenhouse gases into valuable chemicals. Although externally applied fields (magnetic, electric, strain) enhance catalytic efficiency via charge transfer optimization and adsorption energy tuning, the atomic-scale mechanisms governing field-coupled reactions remain unclear. We focus on designing field-responsive catalysts by engineering active sites via electron spin control and ferroelectric domain modulation. Combining operando techniques (XAS, Raman, TEM) with multiscale simulations, we decode how fields regulate reaction barriers and intermediate adsorption/desorption at electronic/atomic scales. A breakthrough innovation involves scaling electrolyzers from lab prototypes to industrial flow cells sustaining working current densities >1 A/cm² while maintaining selectivity. By establishing dynamic structure-activity relationships under operational conditions, we bridge fundamental mechanisms with reactor engineering challenges.