Exploring the Cation Regulation Mechanism for Interfacial Water Involved in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction by In Situ Raman Spectroscopy

Interfacial water molecules are the most important participants in the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).Hence,understanding the behavior and role that interfacial water plays will ultimately reveal the HER mechanism.Unfortunately,investigating interfacial water is extremely challenging owing to the interference caused by bulk water molecules and complexity of the interfacial environment.Here,the behaviors of interfacial water in different cationic electrolytes on Pd surfaces were investigated by the electrochemistry,in situ core-shell nanostructure enhanced Raman spectroscopy and theoretical simulation techniques.Direct spectral evidence reveals a red shift in the frequency and a decrease in the intensity of interfacial water as the potential is shifted in the positively direction.When comparing the different cation electrolyte systems at a given potential,the frequency of the interfacial water peak increases in the specified order:Li+<Na^(+)<K^(+)<Ca^(2+)<Sr^(2+).The structure of interfacial water was optimized by adjusting the radius,valence,and concentration of cation to form the two-H down structure.This unique interfacial water structure will improve the charge transfer efficiency between the water and electrode further enhancing the HER performance.Therefore,local cation tuning strategies can be used to improve the HER performance by optimizing the interfacial water structure.

Core-shell nanoparticle enhanced Raman spectroscopy in situ probing the composition and evolution of interfacial species on PtCo surfaces

The composition and evolution of interfacial species play a key role during electrocatalytic process.Unveiling the structural evolution and intermediate during catalytic process by in situ characterization can shed new light on the electrocatalytic reaction mechanism and develop highly efficient catalyst.However,directly probing the interfacial species is extremely difficult for most spectroscopic techniques due to complicated interfacial environment and ultra-low surface concentration.Herein,electrochemical core-shell nanoparticle enhanced Raman spectroscopy is utilized to probe the composition and evolution processes of interfacial species on Au@Pt,Au@Co,and Au@PtCo core-shell nanoparticle surfaces.The spectral evidences of interfacial intermediates including hydroxide radical(OH*),superoxide ion(O_(2)^(−)),as well as metal oxide species are directly captured by in situ Raman spectroscopy,which are further confirmed by the both isotopic experiment and density functional theory calculation.These results provide a mechanistic guideline for the rational design of highly efficient electrocatalysts.