Proceedings of nanoGe Fall Meeting 2021 (NFM21)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.nfm.2021.059
Publication date: 23rd September 2021
Electrified interfaces, such as electrodes for electrochemical CO2 reduction, can change their morphology as a reaction progresses and when the potential is changed. Likewise, the species in the electrolyte can change significantly while a reaction occurs. This makes operando probing important for understanding how reactions occur as these surfaces. Here, we have used electrochemical atomic force microscopy (EC-AFM) [1] and scanning electrochemical microscopy (AFM-SECM) to probe the cathode topography and the gradient in electrolyte pH near the cathode. I will discuss the experimental techniques, as well as the implications of the results on electrochemical CO2R reactors. I will focus on solvent (H2O) and solute (CO2(aq), CO(aq), OH-) activities [2], the nature of the triple-phase region in gas-diffusion electrodes (GDEs) [3], and how to optimize GDEs for selective and high current density CO2R.
Acknowledgement: This material is based on work performed by the Liquid Sunlight Alliance, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Fuels from Sunlight Hub under Award Number DE-SC0021266.
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