Electric fields as “smart reagents”

Electric fields act as “smart reagents”, triggering and accelerating chemical reactions with precision. While studies on electric-field catalysis focus on single molecules, scaling and reactant transport are often overlooked. Our research uses a large electrode surface to study electrostatic catalysis of Huisgen cycloaddition, comparing it to traditional copper-based methods. With a custom microfluidic reactor, we optimize reactant delivery and showcase a scalable, clean platform for electric-field-driven chemical processes.