Control of Electrons Spin Eliminates Hydrogen Peroxide Formation During Water Splitting

Wilbert Mtangi; Francesco Tassinari; Kiran Vankayala; Andreas Vargas Jentzsch; Beatrice Adelizzi; Anja R. A. Palmans; Claudio Fontanesi; E. W. Meijer; Ron Naaman

arXiv · 2606.01648

Control of Electrons Spin Eliminates Hydrogen Peroxide Formation During Water Splitting

Wilbert Mtangi·Francesco Tassinari·Kiran Vankayala·Andreas Vargas Jentzsch·Beatrice Adelizzi·Anja R. A. Palmans·Claudio Fontanesi·E. W. Meijer·Ron Naaman

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Abstract

The production of hydrogen through water splitting in a photoelectrochemical cell suffers from an overpotential that limits the efficiencies. In addition, hydrogen-peroxide formation is identified as a competing process affecting the oxidative stability of photoelectrodes. We impose spin-selectivity by coating the anode with chiral organic semiconductors from helically-aggregated dyes as sensitizers; Zn-porphyrins and triarylamines. Hydrogen peroxide formation is dramatically suppressed, while the overall current through the cell, correlating with the water splitting process, is enhanced. Evidence for a strong spin-selection in the chiral semiconductors is presented by magnetic conducting (mc-)AFM measurements, where chiral and achiral Zn-porphyrins are compared. These findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanism of spin selectivity in multiple electron-transfer reactions and pave the way towards better chiral dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical cells.

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Wilbert Mtangi, Francesco Tassinari, Kiran Vankayala, Andreas Vargas Jentzsch, Beatrice Adelizzi, Anja R. A. Palmans, Claudio Fontanesi, E. W. Meijer, Ron Naaman. 2026-06-01. Control of Electrons Spin Eliminates Hydrogen Peroxide Formation During Water Splitting. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.01648

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