Threshold current for stability of electrolytic nanobubbles

Hydrogen produced by water electrolysis using gas-evolving electrodes from renewable electricity is essential

for achieving carbon neutrality and a sustainable future. However, micro- and nanobubbles formed at an

electrode can result in undesired blockage of the electrode and thus decrease the energy transformation efficiency. Addressing this problem requires a deeper understanding of the dynamics of individual nanobubbles on electrodes.

Here the stability theory of surface nanobubbles is modified by incorporating the gas influx produced at the

bubble’s contact line to describe the dynamics of a single electrolytic nanobubble and is validated using molecular

simulations. This modification creates a unified theoretical framework that can predict not only

the evolution of contact angles for stable nanobubbles but also the unbounded growth of unstable

nanobubbles leading to detachment. The threshold current (gas influx) for stable nanobubbles is also derived.