Magnetic field induced motion behavior of gas bubbles in liquid

The oxygen evolution reaction generally exists in electrochemical reactions. It is a ubiquitous problem about how to control the motion of oxygen bubbles released by the reaction. Here we show that oxygen bubbles during oxygen evolution reaction exhibit a variety of movement patterns in the magnetic field, including directional migration and rotational motion of oxygen bubbles when the magnet in parallel with the electrode, and exclusion movement of oxygen bubbles when the magnet perpendicular to the electrode. The results demonstrate that the direction of oxygen bubbles movement is dependent upon the magnet pole near the electrode, and the kinetics of oxygen bubbles is mainly proportional to intensity of the electromagnetic field. The magnetic-field induced rotational motion of oxygen bubbles in a square electrolyzer can increase liquid hydrodynamics, thus solve the problems of oxygen bubbles coalescence, and uneven distribution of electrolyte composition and temperature. These types of oxygen bubbles movement will not only improve energy saving and metal deposition for energy storage and metal refinery, but also propel object motion in application to medical and martial fields.