Tweaking the Water Rigidity at Noble Metal Interfaces for Enhanced Alkaline Hydrogen Production via myo-Inositol Coating – A Bioinspired Approach

Can an insulating sugar molecule help in water electrolysis? A unique cyclic polyhydroxy sugar myo-Inositol (MI) is used here to modify the oxide-free noble metal surfaces leading to enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficacy in alkaline medium. This non-permanent surface coating approach makes the HER activity of platinum in alkaline medium on par with that in acidic medium. This HER enhancement effect of MI is also demonstrated on another metal electrode, gold. A monolayer adsorption of MI on Au and Pt is verified with quartz crystal microbalance assisted studies. The presence of MI at the metal surface introduces weakly hydrogen bonded water molecules at the electrode-electrolyte interface by disrupting the hydrogen bonding network, as proven by the operando surface enhanced infrared spectroscopy studies. This approach highlights the unique role of MI in HER and effectively mitigates the kinetic limitations of alkaline water electrolysis.