Speaker
Description
Various electrocatalytic reactions are influenced by cationic species in the electrolyte, although their exact role is often debated.1 Resolving the electrochemical interface is thus essential for comprehending the interaction of electrolyte species with electrode surfaces and designing improved catalytic systems. Surface X-ray Diffraction (SXRD) has been shown to be a powerful technique for probing the local ordered atomic scale structure of electrochemical interfaces.2 Here, we show how new SXRD methods can be used to investigate how pivotal variables as pH, potential, and cation identity, affect cation-surface interactions. With a new glass-free, gas and liquid tight SXRD cell design, we maintain a more stable sample and background during specular crystal truncation rod measurements (CTR). Through time-resolved potential step measurements we show how the electrolyte composition influences the cation dynamics at the surface and the diffusion layer. Finally, with novel potentiodynamic specular scans in different electrolytes, we obtain very accurate insights on the structure of the cation layer across a wider potential range than what has been measured so far.
- Monteiro, M. C. O.; Dattila, F.; López, N.; Koper, M. T. M. The Role of Cation Acidity on the Competition between Hydrogen Evolution and CO2 Reduction on Gold Electrodes. J Am Chem Soc 2022, 144 (4), 1589–1602.
- Harlow, G. S., Lundgren, E., & Escudero-Escribano, M. (2020). Recent advances in surface x-ray diffraction and the potential for determining structure-sensitivity relations in single-crystal electrocatalysis. Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, 23, 162–173.
