@article{bibcite_36851,
  author = {T Nathan Stovall and Justin C Bui and Yifan Wu and Shujin Hou and Shannon W Boettcher and Adam Z Weber},
  title = {Electric-field enhanced water-dissociation catalysis on oxide surfaces},
  abstract = {<p>Ion-transfer reactions in the presence of electric fields are ubiquitous in (bio/electro)chemical systems and catalysis, yet the impact of the electric field is poorly understood. Here, we use bipolar membranes (BPMs) to isolate electric-field-driven non-faradaic water dissociation (WD: H<sub>2</sub>O {\textrightarrow} H<sup>+</sup> + OH<sup>-</sup>) on catalytic surfaces. We find the catalyst layer{\textquoteright}s ionic properties dictate both the transport and kinetic processes within the BPM. The role of these properties are explored <em>via</em> a series of membrane architectures, and catalyst poisoning experiments, and the corresponding current{\textendash}voltage and impedance responses. Arrhenius analyses show that an acidic graphene-oxide (GO<sub>x</sub>) catalyst layer gives rise to low interfacial H<sub>2</sub>O entropy in the heterojunction, illustrated <em>via</em> a \&gt;100 fold increase in the Arrhenius prefactor relative to baseline TiO<sub>2</sub> measurements. Furthermore, \~{}50\% of the applied driving force goes towards reducing the apparent enthalpic activation barrier in the case of GO<sub>x</sub>, while other metal-oxide catalysts have enthalpic barriers independent of driving force. This analysis demonstrates a new mechanistic understanding of WD, where local electric fields augment enthalpic transition-state barriers, and the local ionic environment facilitates field-driven ion transfer. Ultimately, these results present a new design space for designing ion-transfer catalytic processes, and ionic heterojunctions more broadly.</p>},
  year = {2026},
  booktitle = {EES Catalysis},
  journal = {EES Catalysis},
  series = {EES Catalysis},
  month = {13/01/2026},
  institution = {Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)},
  publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)},
  issn = {2753-801X},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ey00364d},
  doi = {10.1039/d5ey00364d},
}