The role of the Helmholtz potential on electrocatalytic activity

The role of the Helmholtz potential on electrocatalytic activity | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The role of the Helmholtz potential on electrocatalytic activity Arsène Chemin, Louis Godeffroy, David Amans, Tristan Petit This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7628389/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The electrification of the chemical industry is required for a rapid reduction of its carbon footprint and necessitates sustainable and highly active electrocatalysts. New concepts, such as the entropy of the electrolyte at the interface, are emerging as critical descriptors of electrocatalytic activity. However, a theoretical understanding of these properties of the electrochemical interface is still missing. Here, we include the electronic equilibrium at the electrode-electrolyte interface in the Butler-Volmer formalism for metal and metal/semiconductor electrodes. We demonstrate, using experimental data on hydrogen evolution reaction from the literature, that the electrochemical reaction kinetics are not only governed by the Sabatier principle, but also by the Helmholtz potential at the electrode surface. Based on this concept, we explain why adding a thin semiconductor layer (1 to 10 nm) on a metal electrode can enhance electrocatalytic activity, which may guide the discovery of novel thin film catalysts. We also establish that the physical limit for the exchange current density reachable for HER is 10 A cm − 2 for an ideal material. Physical sciences/Chemistry/Electrochemistry/Electrocatalysis Physical sciences/Chemistry/Energy Physical sciences/Physics/Chemical physics Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Surfaces, interfaces and thin films Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files CheminTheRoleoftheHelmholtzPotentialSI.docx Supplementary information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7628389","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":540282953,"identity":"d4a79a77-09e7-4e17-aa00-741ffdbd4ac6","order_by":0,"name":"Arsène 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