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Stabilizing the Meniscus for Operando Characterization of Platinum During the Electrolyte-Consuming Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction

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Abstract

Achieving a molecular-level understanding of interfacial (photo)electrochemical processes is essential in order to tailor novel and highly-performing catalytic systems. The corresponding recent development of in situ and operando tools has posed new challenges on experimental architectures. In this study, we use ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) to probe the solid/liquid electrified interface of a polycrystalline Pt sample in contact with an alkaline electrolyte during hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. Using the “dip-and-pull” technique to probe the interface through a thin liquid layer generated on the sample surface, we observe that the electrolyte meniscus becomes unstable under sustained driving of an electrolyte-consuming reaction (such as water oxidation). The addition of an electrochemically inert supporting electrolyte mitigates this issue, maintaining a stable meniscus layer for prolonged reaction times. In contrast, for processes in which the electrolyte is replenished in the reaction pathway (i.e. water reduction in alkaline conditions), we find that the solid/liquid interface remains stable without addition of a secondary supporting electrolyte. The approach described in this work allows the extension of operando AP-XPS capabilities using the “dip-and-pull” method to a broader class of reactions consuming ionic species during complex interfacial faradaic processes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was partially supported through the Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Science (BES), of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under award no. DE-SC0004993 to the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis (JCAP), a DOE Energy Innovation Hub. The Advanced Light Source is supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. DOE under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. K.A.S. gratefully acknowledges support from the Linus Pauling Distinguished Post-Doctoral Fellowship Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program 69319). PNNL is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kelsey A. Stoerzinger

    Present address: School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Johnson Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

  2. Marco Favaro

    Present address: Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Institute for Solar Fuels, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109, Berlin, Germany

  3. Kelsey A. Stoerzinger and Marco Favaro have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Kelsey A. Stoerzinger

  2. Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Marco Favaro, Zahid Hussain & Ethan J. Crumlin

  3. Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Marco Favaro & Junko Yano

  4. Chemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Marco Favaro

  5. Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Philip N. Ross

  6. Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Junko Yano

  7. State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi Liu

  8. Division of Condensed Matter Physics and Photon Science, School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 200031, China

    Zhi Liu

  9. Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Ethan J. Crumlin

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  1. Kelsey A. Stoerzinger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ethan J. Crumlin.

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Stoerzinger, K.A., Favaro, M., Ross, P.N. et al. Stabilizing the Meniscus for Operando Characterization of Platinum During the Electrolyte-Consuming Alkaline Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Top Catal 61, 2152–2160 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11244-018-1063-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11244-018-1063-6

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