No abstract

Investigating the chemical nature of the adsorbed intermediate species on well-defined Cu single crystal substrates is crucial in understanding many electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, we systematically study the early stages of electrochemical oxidation of Cu(111) and polycrystalline Cu surfaces in different pH electrolytes using in situ shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS). On Cu(111), for the first time, we identified surface OH species which convert to chemisorbed “O” before forming Cu2O in alkaline (0.01 M KOH) and neutral (0.1 M Na2SO4) electrolytes; while at the Cu­(poly) surface, we only detected the presence of surface hydroxide. Whereas, in a strongly acidic solution (0.1 M H2SO4), sulfate replaces the hydroxyl/oxy species. This results improves the understanding of the reaction mechanisms of various electrocatalytic reactions.

The study of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at high-index Pt­(hkl) single crystal surfaces has received considerable interest due to their well-ordered, typical atomic structures and superior catalytic activities. However, it is difficult to obtain direct spectral evidence of ORR intermediates during reaction processes, especially at high-index Pt­(hkl) surfaces. Herein, in situ Raman spectroscopy has been employed to investigate ORR processes at high-index Pt­(hkl) surfaces containing the [011̅] crystal zonei.e., Pt(211) and Pt(311). Through control and isotope substitution experiments, in situ spectroscopic evidence of OH and OOH intermediates at Pt(211) and Pt(311) surfaces was successfully obtained. After detailed analysis based on the Raman spectra and theoretical simulation, it was deduced that the difference in adsorption of OOH at high-index surfaces has a significant effect on the ORR activity. This research illuminates and deepens the understanding of the ORR mechanism on high-index Pt­(hkl) surfaces and provides theoretical guidance for the rational design of high activity ORR catalysts.