Publication Date: March 30, 2026
Direct Measurement of Electrocatalyst Activity Through Maximum Noise
Congratulations to DCB Graduate Student Kaden Wheeler (Sepunaru Group) on his new publication in Joule, which integrates electrochemical measurements with a theoretical framework developed by Prof. João P. Hespanha (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering).
For more than a century, Tafel analysis has been the standard method for comparing electrocatalysts. In this work, the team asked whether a simpler and more universal approach could be developed. Their hypothesis was elegantly simple: if faster electrocatalysts exchange electrons more rapidly, they should also produce larger spontaneous current fluctuations at equilibrium. Guided by this idea and supported by a theoretical framework rooted in the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, they demonstrate that equilibrium current noise directly reports on intrinsic electrocatalytic activity. This work establishes a new strategy for benchmarking electrocatalysts using simple equilibrium measurements, with the potential to accelerate catalyst screening and the discovery of next-generation materials for industrial electrochemical technologies.