Current generation via quantum proton transfer

NIMS and Hokkaido University jointly discovered that proton transfer in electrochemical reactions is governed by the quantum tunneling effect (QTE) under the specific conditions. In addition, they made a first ever observation of the transition between the quantum and classical regimes in electrochemical proton transfer by controlling potential. These results indicated the involvement of QTE in electrochemical proton transfer, a subject of a long-lasting debate, and may accelerate basic research leading to the development of highly efficient electrochemical energy conversion systems based on quantum mechanics.

Many of the state-of-the-art electronic devices and technologies that have realized present modern lives were established based on the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics. Quantum effects in electrochemical reactions in fuel cells and energy devices are, however, not well understood due to the complex movement of electrons and protons driven by electrochemical reaction processes on the surfaces of electrodes. As the result, application of quantum effects in electrochemical energy conversion is not as successful as the fields of electronics and spintronics, which surface and interfacial phenomena are equally critical in all of these fields. Assuming that electrochemical reactions are closely associated with quantum effects, it may be feasible to design highly efficient energy conversion mechanisms based on these effects: including QTE, and devices that take advantage of such mechanisms.

In this study, the NIMS-led research team focused on oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanisms–the key reaction in fuel cells–using deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen having a different mass. As a result, the team confirmed proton tunneling through activation barriers within a small overpotential range. Furthermore, the team found that an increase in overpotential leads to electrochemical reaction pathways to change to proton transfer based on the semiclassical theory. Thus, this research team discovered the novel physical processes: the transition between the quantum and classical regimes in electrochemical reactions.

This research shows the involvement of QTE in proton transfer during the basic energy conversion processes. This discovery may facilitate investigations of microscopic mechanisms of electrochemical reactions which are not understood in detail. It may also stimulate the development of highly efficient electrochemical energy conversion technology with a working principle based on quantum mechanics, capable of operating beyond the classical regime.

###

This research project was conducted by a research team led by Ken Sakaushi (Senior Researcher, Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials [C4GR], NIMS), Andrey Lyalin (Special Researcher, C4GR, NIMS) and Tetsuya Taketsugu (Professor, Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery, Creative Research Institution, Hokkaido University). This project was supported by the JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (Project No. 17K14546), the JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (Project No. 15K05387) and the MEXT Program for Development of Environmental Technology using Nanotechnology.

This study was published in Physical Review Letters, a journal of the American Physical Society, on December 7, 2018.

Contacts

(Regarding this research)

Ken Sakaushi

Senior Researcher

Center for Green Research on Energy and Environmental Materials

National Institute for Materials Science

Tel: +81-29-860-4945

Email: SAKAUSHI.Ken=nims.go.jp

(Please change “=” to “@”)

URL: https://samurai.nims.go.jp/profiles/sakaushi_ken

Tetsuya Taketsugu

Professor

Quantum Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University;

Creative Research Institution; Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery

Tel: +81-11-706-3535

Email: take=sci.hokudai.ac.jp

(Please change “=” to “@”)

URL: https://wwwchem.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/~qc/

(For general inquiries)

Public Relations Office

National Institute for Materials Sciences

Tel: +81-29-859-2026

Fax: +81-29-859-2017

E-Mail: pressrelease=ml.nims.go.jp

(Please change “=” to “@”)

Public Relations Division

General Affairs and Planning Department, Hokkaido University

Kita 8, Nishi 5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0808, Japan

Tel: +81-11-706-2610

Fax: +81-11-706-2092

Email: [email protected]