Understanding fundamentals of electrochemical reactions with tender X-rays:A new lab-based operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy method for probing liquid/solid and gas/solid interfaces across a variety of electrochemical systems

Electrocatalysis is key to improving energy efficiency,reducing carbon emissions,and providing a sustainable way of meeting global energy needs.Therefore,elucidating electrochemical reaction mechanisms at the electrolyte/electrode interfaces is essential for developing advanced renewable energy technologies.However,the direct probing of real-time interfacial changes,i.e.,the surface intermediates,chemical environment,and electronic structure,under operating conditions is challenging and necessitates the use of in situ methods.Herein,we present a new lab-based instrument commissioned to perform in situ chemical analysis at liquid/solid interfaces using ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(APXPS).This setup takes advantage of a chromium source of tender X-rays and is designed to study liquid/solid interfaces by the“dip and pull”method.Each of the main components was carefully described,and the results of performance tests are presented.Using a three-electrode setup,the system can probe the intermediate species and potential shifts across the liquid electrolyte/solid electrode interface.In addition,we demonstrate how this system allows the study of interfacial changes at gas/solid interfaces using a case study:a sodium–oxygen model battery.However,the use of APXPS in electrochemical studies is still in the early stages,so we summarize the current challenges and some developmental frontiers.Despite the challenges,we expect that joint efforts to improve instruments and the electrochemical setup will enable us to obtain a better understanding of the composition–reactivity relationship at electrochemical interfaces under realistic reaction conditions.

The critical role of electrochemically activated adsorbates in neutral OER

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)under neutral conditions is important for microbial electrolysis cells(MECs).However,the OER kinetics in neutral electrolytes at present are extremely sluggish,resulting in high overpotentials that greatly limit the energy conversion efficiencies of MECs.Previous studies failed to probe the adsorbates on surface metal sites of catalysts at the atomic scale and elucidate their influence on the catalytic activities,which has impeded the rational design of efficient neutral OER catalysts with optimal surface structures.Here,using in situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM),in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and in situ low-energy ion scattering studies,we have identified,for the first time,that the electrochemically activated adsorbates on surface metal sites play a critical role in boosting the neutral OER activities of Ru-Ir binary oxide(RuxIryO2)catalysts.The adsorbate-activated RuxIryO2on a glassy carbon electrode achieved a low overpotential of 324 m V at10 m A cm-2in neutral electrolyte,with a 36-fold improvement in turnover frequency compared with that of Ir O2benchmark.Upon application in an MEC system,the resulting full cell showed a decreased voltage of 1.8 V,200 m V lower than the best value reported to date,facilitating efficient synthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)from bioelectrochemical CO2reduction.Density functional theory(DFT)studies revealed that the enhanced OER activity of RuxIryO2catalyst arose from local structural distortion of adjacent adsorbate-covered Ru octahedra at the catalyst surface and the consequently decreased adsorption energies of OER intermediates on Ir active center.