Alternating Magnetic Fields for Boosting Electrocatalytic Reactions

Urea and ammonia are harmful to aquatic ecosystems, and their electro-oxidation reactions (UER and AmER) are efficiently catalyzed by Ni- and Pt-based materials. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) can generate heat under an alternating magnetic field (AMF), which can be transferred to Ni and Pt nanoparticles to enhance catalytic activity. In this work, Ni-MNP and Pt-MNP electrocatalysts were synthesized with varying mass ratios and supported on carbon cloth. Structural analyses confirmed the presence of Ni, NiO, Pt, Fe₃O₄, and/or γ-Fe₂O₃, with nanoparticles ranging from 3–100 nm. Chronoamperometric measurements revealed significant improvements in current density under AMF: UER increased by 6–52.5% and AmER by 2–51%, depending on field amplitude. These findings demonstrate that AMF can effectively boost electrocatalytic performance and may be extended to other reactions, such as water splitting.