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Electrocatalytic mechanisms

Separate electro from the chemistry

In a standard electrochemistry experiment, the electrochemical signal reports on all electron transfer, chemical, and diffusion steps between the anode and cathode. Now, a membrane reactor decouples each of these steps to enable direct measurement of elementary reaction steps in ways that are otherwise not possible.

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Fig. 1: Comparison of a conventional electrochemical cell and a palladium membrane reactor.

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Correspondence to Curtis P. Berlinguette.

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Wen, Y., Berlinguette, C.P. Separate electro from the chemistry. Nat Catal 6, 294–295 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-00950-3

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