posted on 2023-09-26, 14:36authored byOlaf Brummel, Leon Jacobse, Alexander Simanenko, Xin Deng, Simon Geile, Olof Gutowski, Vedran Vonk, Yaroslava Lykhach, Andreas Stierle, Jörg Libuda
New diagnostic approaches are needed
to drive progress
in the field
of electrocatalysis and address the challenges of developing electrocatalytic
materials with superior activity, selectivity, and stability. To this
end, we developed a versatile experimental setup that combines two
complementary in-situ techniques for the simultaneous chemical and
structural analysis of planar electrodes under electrochemical conditions:
high-energy surface X-ray diffraction (HE-SXRD) and infrared reflection
absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). We tested the potential of the experimental
setup by performing a model study in which we investigated the oxidation
of preadsorbed CO on a Pt(111) surface as well as the oxidation of
the Pt(111) electrode itself. In a single experiment, we were able
to identify the adsorbates, their potential dependent adsorption geometries,
the effect of the adsorbates on the surface morphology, and the structural
evolution of Pt(111) during surface electro-oxidation. In a broader
perspective, the combined setup has a high application potential in
the field of energy conversion and storage.