A molecule’s electronic configuration and chirality are fundamental to driving electrochemical reactions. Understanding these molecular properties is crucial for designing highly efficient catalysts—a key step in advancing fuel cells and future energy conversion devices.
“The main contribution of this work is that it changes the way we understand the influence of spin on electrochemical reactions and provides a new strategy for developing materials with controlled and predictable performance,” explains Dr. Ingrid Ponce, a researcher at the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology, regarding the publication.
This new strategy, the USACH researcher explains, focuses on the “filter” role played by chiral molecules and on the possibility of adjusting—by favoring or inhibiting—the transfer of electrons with a specific spin through the design of molecular catalysts assembled on chiral molecules, thereby making the electrochemical reaction more efficient.
“As a research group at Usach, this achievement also demonstrates that it is possible to conduct cutting-edge science from Chile and generate knowledge with international impact to address the challenges of the transition toward more sustainable energy technologies. Furthermore, it reflects the fundamental role of student training in the generation of high-impact knowledge,” added the researcher from the Faculty of Chemistry and Biology.
The research was conducted as part of Luis Acuña’s doctoral research project and Natalia Yupanqui’s undergraduate thesis. The study also resulted from an interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, including Dr. Ana María Méndez (UCEN), Alexis Aspée (Usach), and Nadim Darwish (Curtin University).
The publication, titled “Spin-Dependent Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis Is Suppressed by Electron-Withdrawing Substitution in Perfluorinated Iron Phthalocyanine,” is authored by: Ingrid Ponce, Luis Acuña, Ruben Oñate, Nayareth Vilches, Natalia Yupanqui, Manuel Días, Ana María Méndez, Laura Scarpetta, Javier Ponce, Alexis Aspée, José Zagal, and Nadim Darwish.